Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 66 (Patreon)

Chapter 66: Doll

As the street lights began to illuminate the evening, the bustling streets were adorned with vibrant lights that reflected off everyone, casting a kaleidoscope of colors.

Among the crowd, a ten-year-old boy with black hair navigated through the throng with ease.

The boy had short black hair and fair skin, making his dark eyes particularly striking.

He was wearing a blue hoodie, his hands buried in its pockets, moving at a pace quicker than the adults around him.

He stood out, the only child in a sea of adults, an odd presence in the night.

Suddenly, the distinctive sound of a message notification broke through the noise.

The boy pulled out a compact mobile phone from his pocket.

With a press of a button, the screen lit up, revealing the message.

"This year's commissions are even more numerous and arrived earlier than last year; it's going to be a busy half-month."

After reading the message, the boy's expression remained unchanged as he tucked the phone back into his pocket and turned into an alleyway, leaving the bustling street behind.

---

At the hotel, Martin descended alone from the top floor, signaling the end of their survey. The three subordinates who had accompanied him were already stationed at strategic points.

The survey's completion finally eased Barney's frustration.

Within an hour, no fewer than ten fellow leaders had come to greet him.

Despite their hidden desires for his demise, they had to wear hypocritical smiles, a charade that Barney found tiresome.

The group had taken the elevator directly to the top floor, where room assignments had been predetermined before the spaceship landed.

Barney naturally occupied the most luxurious room, while Elly's room was next door.

The room assignments for Kuli, Wogret, Chestnut Hair, and Horse Face were strategically placed between the entrance to the top floor and Barney and Elly's rooms.

Luo's room was next to Elly's, tasked with protecting her.

Until the Yorknew Auction ended, they would stay in this hotel.

Different from the spaceship, the entrance to the elevators and stairs were strictly guarded by Barney's men. Luo's significant assignment was considered inner circle, while the rest, including Kuli's group, served as a buffer between the inner and outer circles.

As night deepened, Luo settled into his room, spirits high.

The room, adorned with luxurious decor befitting the hotel's top floor, was splendid except for a slightly odd pattern on a screen glass that separated the bed from the living area. The pattern consisted of red outer rings with black circles inside. Luo thought the design odd but didn't dwell on it.

Soon after entering the room, his stomach protested with hunger. Before he could contemplate ordering food, Barney's subordinates had already delivered it, sparing him the hassle.

Confident in his resistance to poison, Luo first scanned the food with God's Hand before beginning to eat. The hotel's food was delicious and plentiful, and Luo finished it in five minutes.

After a satisfying meal, he took a hot shower, emerging refreshed and relaxed.

Wrapped in a bath towel, he picked up a world map from the coffee table before walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Hotels typically offer reading materials like travel guides and local maps, but this room also included a world map.

Looking out at the night view, reminiscent of dragons made of light, Luo's thoughts grew complex. This prosperous scene was similar to memories of another place, yet entirely different.

"I don't really want to go back to Meteor Street," Luo mused, smiling as he perused the world map.

The map showed six continents, with his current location on the third-largest continent, Yorbian. While not detailed, it marked Yorknew's coastal city location, though Luo's room offered no sea view. Unique landmarks were also highlighted, stirring in Luo an immediate desire to explore.

"The world's tallest tree, I must visit this place," Luo breathed deeply, suppressing the urge to set off immediately.

Knock, knock...

The sudden sound at the door caught Luo off guard.

Setting the map down, he walked over and opened the door to find two people standing outside: the rambunctious Elly and the butler, Kenda.

Elly's calm reaction to Luo's towel-wrapped appearance contrasted with her usually lively demeanor.

Luo glanced at Elly, then at Kenda, whose expressionless face offered no clues.

Turning his attention back to Elly, Luo inquired, "What's the matter?"

"I can't sleep. Come to my room and play!" Elly demanded.

"No," Luo refused outright, preferring to face a formidable enemy over entertaining a capricious child.

Elly looked incredulously at Luo, then at his lower-wrapped towel, before exclaiming in realization.

She then took out a "magic" sticky note and pen from her bag, wrote Luo's name on a note, and affixed it to his stomach under his bemused gaze.

After securing the note, Elly put the pen and paper back into her bag, satisfied with her handiwork on Luo's stomach.

The next moment, Luo promptly tore off the sticky note.

Elly's face registered disbelief, her eyes slowly welling up with tears.

"Your duty is to protect the young lady, making her effectively your employer. Obeying her reasonable requests is part of your obligations," Kenda spoke up then.

His tone wasn't threatening or commanding; he simply outlined the relationship between employer and employee.

Luo, catching a glimpse of Elly's tearful act, knew better than to fall for her theatrics. He turned to Kenda instead, asking, "Does the boss know about her request?"

"If he didn't, the young lady wouldn't be standing here," Kenda replied.

Rubbing his temples, Luo sighed with a headache.

After a moment, he conceded, "Fine, wait while I get dressed."

"Yay!" Elly clapped her hands in delight.

Luo couldn't help but feel a few metaphorical black lines fall over his forehead, pondering if Kenda and the others thought he was assigned to protect Elly because they were of similar age, thus making him suitable for entertaining her as well.

Kenda then handed Luo a set of clothes, "These are for you; the others have received theirs too."

From the moment they boarded the ship, Luo and the others were designated as bodyguards for Barney and Elly, naturally precluding them from continuing to wear their street clothes from Meteor Street.

Without objection, Luo took the clothes and closed the door.

The outfit was a black suit. Once dressed, Luo found it nearly perfectly fitted, transforming his demeanor into one that belied his age.

Elly's eyes lit up seeing Luo in the black suit, a refreshing change from the usual burly men in similar attire.

Kenda, noting Luo's composed air, felt inwardly pleased. Coupled with Martin's positive evaluation, Luo was deemed the right choice for protecting Elly, a decision also respected by the lord.

Luo's room was just next to Elly's, only a few steps away.

Following Elly into her room, he found the decor similar to his own.

Once inside, Kenda positioned himself by the door, while Elly led Luo to the living area.

On the coffee table sat a baby-sized, intricately designed doll, complete with a matching antique chair and dressing table, seemingly a set unto itself.

Luo's gaze was immediately drawn to the delicate doll.

The swirling white smoke around it hinted that the doll possessed nen that could be absorbed.

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