Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 36 (Patreon)

Chapter 36: Conception

The buildings in Meteor Street are densely packed, with many alleyways resembling a miniature labyrinth. Above, a tangle of electrical wires and cables obscures most of the light sources.

For someone unfamiliar with the area, finding their way out could be quite challenging.

Being left here by Chrollo Lucilfer, Luo couldn't help but feel resentful.

Walking alone in the dimly lit alleys, Luo thought about the basement's sinister, sharp-mouthed monkey statue and the Almighty's long sword.

The moment the white smoke text appeared in his consciousness, it was shrouded in mystery. Appreciating the collected items in the basement overturned Luo's previous understanding.

Although there was no aura on that sinister, sharp-mouthed monkey statue, it could generate so many fragments of memories in his mind, as if he were an observer returning to a certain period in the historical river, witnessing everything that happened at that time.

This must be a capability that any archaeologist would dream of having.

In this world, it should refer to those relic hunters, like the one in the original story who abandoned his family and then had his son enact the "Where's Dad" scenario, who would be envious of this ability.

Moreover, Luo felt that these memory fragments were not so simple, like being in a data space conjured from fiction. Images popped up and floated before his eyes, and with just a touch of his finger, he could delve into the contents of those images.

At that moment, Luo did indeed think about doing so, but he restrained himself. His intuition told him that it would be dangerous.

Even though he didn't easily delve deeper into these images, the related information still lingered in his mind.

Rather than the experiences linked between the sculptor and the statue, Luo was more concerned about the memory fragments mentioning the Dark Sonata, a very eerie sheet of music, which was also the chief culprit that caused the sculptor to become what he was.

An unfair equivalent exchange is the special, as well as dangerous, characteristic of this piece of music.

The person playing the music would die, and those who listened to it would experience unimaginable disasters, yet they would also gain some benefits.

Lacking information, it's unclear whether this strange ability has anything to do with making a wish, whether it's subjective or passively endured. In any case, it's a very dangerous piece of music.

Luo wanted the sheet music for a simple reason: he believed that the music, possessing strange abilities, would surely be imbued with aura. Absorbing the aura from it was his goal.

"The Dark Sonata, if I remember correctly, should be the Demon's Melody that was damaged in its melody appearance." As Luo walked, he thought about the origin of the Dark Sonata.

There are four parts of the Dark Sonata, each can be performed solo by piano, violin, flute, or harp. In the original story, a girl named Melody was disfigured after listening to the flute's performance of the Dark Sonata but also gained the ability to read minds.

Currently, no music hunter knows whether the four solo pieces can be played together because even finding one solo piece is difficult, let alone collecting all four.

Leaving aside this possibility, if they could be played together, no one knows what more terrifying event might occur.

Music hunters interested in the Dark Sonata would be very curious about this unknown outcome. Selling information about one of the solo pieces could also bring in a lot of rewards.

"I'm not interested in music. If I can find the Dark Sonata, just absorb the aura from it, and perhaps that strange ability can be eliminated as well."

Luo wouldn't sell this information, nor did he plan to collect all four solo pieces for a concert. His goal was to absorb the aura possibly attached to the solo pieces, thereby enhancing his power more quickly.

Finding clues to another bizarre item from a statue was something Luo never expected, quite a surprise.

So far, he had appreciated seven collected items, but only the sinister, sharp-mouthed monkey statue triggered a clue, yet he didn't know what the trigger condition was or if it was directly linked to the item itself.

Luo, puzzled by this, consciously asked the white smoke text, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea.

Unable to figure it out, Luo didn't dwell on it any longer, knowing that the white smoke text wouldn't harm him but only bring benefits.

In the short term, it would be impossible to look for the harp version of the Dark Sonata. Instead, he thought about how to become stronger quickly, then find a way to obtain the Almighty from the basement.

Although Luo wasn't skilled with swords, he couldn't suppress the urge to acquire this sword, not even the rust and decay could stop this thought.

Vaguely, Luo had the idea of applying the aura ability of 'God's Hand' to the Almighty, without testing, he didn't know the outcome, but it was worth a try.

"Thinking too much is useless, becoming stronger quickly is the true solution."

Luo shook his head slightly. Even without Chrollo Lucilfer's reminder, he knew he needed to become stronger as soon as possible.

He didn't want to experience again what happened when he faced the Elder Council in the house. If he were strong enough, he wouldn't be so constrained and in a completely passive situation.

"Eh?"

Luo found himself at a dead end.

"Now this is troublesome."

Looking at the towering walls in front of him, Luo stroked his chin and surveyed his surroundings, feeling utterly unfamiliar.

It seemed... perhaps... he was lost?

"Getting too engrossed in my thoughts, all thanks to that guy Chrollo."

Luo sighed lightly, looking at the wall over three meters high, pondering whether he should find a taller building and then figure out which direction the church was in.

Continuing to wander in the alleys, even if it got dark, probably wouldn't lead him out. He might as well take a different path, directly across the rooftops of the buildings.

Luo glanced at the electrical wires and cables overhead, contemplating taking that route, though wondering if it might be too conspicuous.

"No time to think so much about it."

Without hesitating for too long, Luo gathered his aura into his feet, enhancing his jumping ability. He found various points of leverage on the building, avoiding the entangled wires and cables, and leapt onto a building three stories high.

"This building seems to be the tallest around here, about six stories high."

Standing on the three-story building, his view remained limited, unable to spot the church, obscured by buildings of varying heights.

Luo scanned the surrounding environment for the next foothold, while faintly feeling glances from elsewhere watching him.

Indeed, it was a bit too conspicuous and had attracted the attention of some residents of Meteor Street.

"Hope there won't be any idle people looking for trouble."

Luo thought to himself, ignoring those glances, jumping towards a higher building, moving forward while searching for a vantage point to see the direction of the church.

In the process, he inevitably disturbed the residents of Meteor Street.

As Luo stood on a building looking for the next foothold, he glanced sideways and saw a scene through the window of a neighboring building that made him pause for a moment.

Amid the intertwining screams of women and the furious roars of men, Luo ran swiftly, arriving safely at a sufficiently high building.

This was a house about five stories tall. Looking eastward, he could already see the church.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Luo saw someone sitting on the edge, back facing him, exactly in the direction of the church.

Without giving it much thought, Luo walked to the edge, gazing into the distance at the church, confirming his direction before contemplating the next part of his route, whether to return to the main road or continue across the rooftops of the buildings.

As Luo pondered, the youth sitting at the edge of the roof chewed his gum and quietly watched Luo, the young man sporting short red hair.

Feeling the youth's gaze, Luo glanced at him briefly before withdrawing his gaze, deciding to continue via the rooftops and then leapt forward.

"Hmm?"

The youth watched with interest as Luo's figure, leaping down, gradually disappeared into the distance.

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