Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 37 (Patreon)

Chapter 37: The Burden of Life

The red-haired youth sitting on the rooftop chewing gum caught Luo's glance. He felt a hint of familiarity but didn't pay much attention to it.

After determining the correct direction, Luo jumped from rooftop to rooftop among the buildings until he could clearly see the church. It was then he chose a nearby alley to jump down to and proceeded to walk on the main street towards the church.

The church wasn't a hospital, but it was a place that provided healing. The room where Uvogin and Nobunaga were staying was, for the time being, treated as a sickroom.

When Luo returned to the sickroom, Pakunoda was no longer there, while Nobunaga was still deeply asleep, and Uvogin was lying in bed very obediently, with Machi sitting silently in a chair.

Upon entering the room, a bleak mood was immediately palpable.

"What's wrong with you two?" Luo looked at the despondent Uvogin and Machi, puzzled.

Uvogin looked up at Luo, then, after a moment, his head drooped down in dismay again.

"We owe a huge sum of money," Machi said weakly.

Luo was startled for a moment but quickly realized it was the medical expenses Chrollo had paid on their behalf. "How much?" he asked immediately.

Machi sighed deeply, despairingly said, "Three million Jenny."

"No way," Luo was a bit dumbfounded. According to the exchange rate between Jenny and Renminbi, that was almost two hundred thousand Renminbi. It sounded like a total rip-off from a black-hearted hospital, but no, this was a church.

Machi, devoid of strength, laid his head on the table and said, "That three million Jenny doesn't even include the subsequent costs. Even if the three of us share the burden, I don't know how long it will take to earn that back."

Not to mention Machi, who was in poor condition, even Uvogin couldn't bear such a huge debt.

"Chrollo wouldn't want you to pay him back so soon, right? No need to be so pessimistic," Luo said, trying to console Machi.

Machi shook his head slightly and said, "Chrollo definitely won't rush us to repay the money, but Pakunoda said that the three million Jenny is basically all of Chrollo's savings, and he is powerless to cover the subsequent expenses."

"What? So, it's because the church is too greedy, right? Is there a place to file a complaint?" Luo's eyes widened.

Machi rolled his eyes, lacking even the energy to retort.

"Pakunoda said the remaining money could only last for two more days," Uvogin raised his hand, thumb pointing towards Nobunaga on the next bed, and said, "This guy here, sleeping like a pig."

"What should we do then? Is there a quick way to make money in Meteor City?" Luo also started to worry, rubbing his forehead.

Nobunaga was sleeping carelessly, Uvogin couldn't get out of bed for a while, and Machi, with injured legs, was also immobilized and couldn't do much. It seemed like only he could be relied upon now.

Hearing Luo's question, Uvogin and Machi exchanged glances, then very certainly said, "No."

"Really? Then where did Chrollo get so much money?" Luo didn't believe it.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be so poor," Machi said.

Luo nodded understandingly and said, "Makes sense. If you knew, you wouldn't be eating rice soup every day."

Hearing Luo bring up the rice soup again, Machi glared at him with dead fish eyes, which Luo simply ignored.

"Maybe I really should open a restaurant? But that requires capital as well, right? A kilogram of rice on Meteor Street costs five hundred Jenny. The prices here are outrageous. I just don't know if other things are as expensive," Luo murmured to himself.

Machi couldn't hear clearly what Luo was muttering and asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

Luo looked up at Machi, earnestly said, "I was thinking, if I opened a restaurant in Meteor City, maybe I could make a lot of money in a short period."

Machi and Uvogin went silent, then gave Luo a very familiar look, as if they were looking at a madman.

The cost of ingredients in Meteor City was horrifically high, so there were no restaurants in Meteor City, except for places like the church that provided cooked meals, which were as extortionate as the medical fees.

A meal like today's would cost four thousand five hundred Jenny.

While there were no restaurants, there were shops that sold daily necessities and bars for entertainment. The living system wasn't perfect, but it had a basic framework.

These shops integrated into daily life were under the control of the recycling station, and the people behind the recycling station were the four elders.

Residents of Meteor City would bring recyclable materials to the recycling station, where they would be offered a pitiful price. Hence, income and the exorbitant cost of living were disproportionally mismatched, only those physically strong residents could live a bit better.

Machi, still young, didn't belong to that group, so his living conditions were poor.

Facing the looks from Machi and Uvogin as if he were insane, Luo couldn't help but smile bitterly. Sharing this plan with them was like playing the lute to a cow – utterly pointless. He simply ignored them and kept his head down, thinking of a solution on his own.

The idea of opening a restaurant was a sudden inspiration he had today, but it was just a thought. After all, he hadn't planned on settling down in Meteor City.

Plans always fail to keep up with changes.

He had originally intended to improve the meal situation and then leave Meteor City after a while. Now, not only had he not improved their meals, but he also had to help the three injured solve their living problems and repay the debt to Chrollo.

Three million Jenny – if it were a normal city, Luo was confident he could earn it back in a short period. But this place was Meteor City.

If only he had known, he might have left the ominous hand with Machi and the others and then run away. But doing so would have meant no chance to get close to the elders' collection.

Chrollo had seemed so nonchalant when paying the fees, as if it was nothing, making it seem like his entire fortune was no big deal.

He had managed to fool them, making Machi and the others fall into this pit, thinking there was no need to worry about the medical fees and they could slowly repay it later.

If they had known it would turn out like this, perhaps Machi and Uvogin would have preferred Luo to just run away. The ominous hand left behind could have been sold to offset the medical fees.

"Even if we consider opening a restaurant, the lack of capital is a problem. Looks like we have to find Chrollo. If he had three million Jenny in savings at just twelve years old, he must have some ways."

Luo too was leaning on the table, his head tilted as he pondered.

Though this was something that needed to be done without delay, the experiences of the day had really tired him out. He thought it would be better to look for Chrollo tomorrow.

If Chrollo could provide a quick way to make money, that would be perfect. If there wasn't a quick way to make money, then letting Chrollo invest all his savings into opening a restaurant might be the only option, though it was uncertain if Chrollo would be interested.

As for the business, with his cooking skills, it really wasn't a problem. But before opening a restaurant, he needed to first check out the market. After all, even the best cook can't prepare meals without rice.

Throughout, Luo faced this problem, which wasn't directly related to him, without any thought of avoidance, because Machi had shown him kindness.

"That's settled then. I'll find out where Chrollo lives, and go talk to him about this first thing in the morning."

Luo's wandering gaze gradually focused, and then he saw Machi's big eyes, paused for a moment, and said annoyedly, "What?"

He was still bothered by Machi's earlier look, as if seeing a madman.

"Luo."

Machi said solemnly.

"Hmm?" Luo raised his eyebrows.

"How about you go pick up another piece of wood?" Machi said seriously.

"…"

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