Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Chapter 16: Danger

The meeting place was an open space, quite conspicuous.

When Luo arrived at the meeting place carrying the ominous hand, Machi and the others were already there, each with a considerable haul.

"Hey, is this all you got in two hours?" Nobunaga leaned on a pile of steel debris, somewhat taken aback upon seeing the wood Luo was carrying.

Why is the world's landfill called a junkyard instead of being referred to by its original designation?

What is deemed garbage is considered worthless, but this place known as the junkyard sustains nearly ten million people living in Meteor Street. It might sound exaggerated, but Meteor Street has developed to its current state relying on the junkyard.

It shouldn't be called a dump. For the residents of Meteor Street, even giving it the ironically named 'source of life' doesn’t matter.

So, two hours should be enough for one to find many things, not just a piece of wood.

"Uh-huh." Facing Nobunaga's astonished question, Luo raised his arm, allowing the grotesquely weird ominous hand to catch the trio's attention, calmly stating, "This is an antique!"

Silence suddenly fell over the area.

Machi and the others looked at Luo as if he were insane.

"Luo, even though I have to share half of today's find with you, you don't have to slack off like this, right?" Uvogin patted a pile of broken electrical appliances next to him that was even taller than him.

Nobunaga slapped his forehead, helplessly saying, "This is the first time I've heard of the junkyard and antiques being mentioned in the same breath."

"If you split that pile of stuff with Uvogin, you could probably exchange it for half a month's worth of rice soup. Luo, you can throw away that piece of wood," Machi glanced at Uvogin's haul.

Initially, Luo thought Uvogin's offer to split the haul was a way to bully him, but that was not the case. Now, by comparing Uvogin and Machi's respective finds, the difference was clear.

Uvogin collected mainly broken or damaged electrical appliances. His strength was great enough to gather a considerable amount, while Machi also collected electrical appliances, albeit she chose those with a relatively intact appearance. However, the recycling center wouldn't offer much for them.

In short, Luo won the arm-wrestling match against Uvogin, essentially claiming what Machi had collected over five days.

"Don't underestimate this piece of wood; it's called the ominous hand, you know?" Luo shook the ominous hand, serious.

"Oh, it's wood." Uvogin picked at his ear with his pinkie.

"Broken wood." Nobunaga looked at the broken fingers of the ominous hand.

"Junk." Machi spread her hands.

Luo's body swayed, as if three huge stones had been mercilessly thrown at him.

"Ignorance! This is an antique that's over 920 years old!"

Luo straightened up, glaring at the three before him, loudly explaining, "Ever heard of the Lilit Tribe? This ominous hand..."

"Lilit Tribe?" Uvogin tilted his head, puzzled, stroking his chin.

"Never heard of it." Nobunaga's eyes were dead.

Machi slightly shook her head, a hint of resignation on her face, thinking that it would be a long shot for Luo to repay the meal costs with triple interest now.

Luo stumbled, nearly falling, and rubbed his forehead with his index and middle fingers, giving up on explaining the origin of the ominous hand. Instead, he asked, "Is there a market for antiques or something like that in Meteor Street? Even though this ominous hand is missing three fingers, it should still be worth some money considering its age."

Silence fell over the area again.

Machi walked over, under the straightforward gaze of Uvogin and Nobunaga, and leaned close to Luo's face, pressing her forehead against his.

Luo was stunned, and so were Uvogin and Nobunaga.

Machi seemed unaware of the inappropriateness, stepping back to look at Uvogin and Nobunaga, calmly stating, "No fever."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Luo came back to his senses, covering his forehead, not knowing what to say.

"Do you think Meteor Street is the kind of place that would have an antique market?" Nobunaga regained his composure, scoffing.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem unlikely." Luo looked at the ominous hand in his hand, feeling the discomfort of bursting bubbles, yet unwilling to accept that what was clearly an antique had nowhere to be sold.

"If this piece of wood truly has a 900-year history, then I know someone who might be interested," Machi raised her index finger, stating lightly.

"Hmm

, that guy wouldn't like the wood itself but the era it represents," Nobunaga glanced at Machi, knowing whom she referred to.

Uvogin showed no interest in joining the conversation.

"Who?" Luo brightened at Machi and Nobunaga's words.

"Chrollo Lucilfer," Machi revealed the name.

"Chrollo Lucilfer?" Luo was secretly shocked; isn't that the leader of the Phantom Troupe?

Machi nodded, saying, "Chrollo Lucilfer is quite interested in odd things, and he might help you find a buyer. Of course, I don't think anyone would want to buy this junk."

"It's not junk; it's an antique," Luo rolled his eyes, correcting her.

"Oh." Machi's response was lukewarm, leaving Luo frustrated.

"Let's head back then. Chrollo Lucilfer is in the Western District. First, we'll go to the recycling station to exchange these items, and then we'll look for Chrollo Lucilfer," Uvogin gently tapped the pile of electrical appliances next to him, which Machi had tied up with a wire.

"Agreed," Machi and Nobunaga responded.

As they finished speaking, they each picked up their haul.

Only then did Luo notice that the items they had collected were all tied up with a thin wire, which seemed to be Machi's doing, shown several times. He wondered what material the wire was made of, as it didn't break.

"Machi's wire is strong; it won't break," Nobunaga noticed Luo's surprised look, explaining.

Luo was even more astonished, looking at the messily entangled wire, asking, "How do you untangle this?"

"Anyway, Machi can untangle it. You could say it's a natural talent," Nobunaga said.

No wonder Machi later displayed nen abilities related to threads; she had mastered this... type from a young age?

"I'm hungry; let's hurry," Uvogin led the way, nonchalantly saying.

Before the words had fully settled, Luo, Machi, Nobunaga, and Uvogin's bodies all trembled slightly, their expressions changing.

"Boom!"

Uvogin and the others almost simultaneously dropped the items they were carrying on their shoulders to the ground, creating a loud, unified noise, while Luo also dropped the ominous hand.

Then, all four of them reacted in unison, turning sharply to stare at a pile of trash to their right front, their eyes wary.

"Not bad...!" A voice came from behind the mountain of trash, and as the words fell, a man with a build slightly bulkier than Uvogin and bald, emerged from behind the trash mountain.

"It seems my 'Zetsu' isn't perfected yet, just leaking a tiny bit of aura, and all four of you... sensed it together!"

The bald man's triangular eyes struggled to widen, his pupils quivering left and right, reflecting the owner's mood in a delicate state - calm if he retreats, crazy if he advances.

Ignoring Luo and the others, the bald man continued, "Didn't expect there to be four of you, makes things difficult. Left my book at home, and my head isn’t working well, so coming up with two new ways to die on the spot is impossible."

Luo and his companions furrowed their brows, unsure of what the bald man was talking about, but they were certain he gave them a dangerous vibe.

"No choice then, the two ways to die I had in mind will have to be divided among you four."

The bald man grinned, revealing a creepy smile, his eyes gleaming with madness, and his aura began to emanate from his body, creating an atmosphere around him.

"Hmm?!"

Luo, Machi, Nobunaga, and Uvogin, as if electrocuted, sharply jumped back a distance.

When the bald man released his aura, they reacted like startled animals, their minds not yet realizing what it was, but their bodies automatically responding.

This bald man was dangerous, and he intended to kill them!

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