Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 166 (Patreon)

Chapter 166: Post-Mortem Nen

Luo descended from Mount Grul and headed straight back to the lakeside cabin. Sanbica was inside, browsing her computer, vigilantly monitoring where outbreaks were occurring—as if it were her born duty.

Upon returning to the cabin, Luo set down his bag, grabbed a bottle of mountain spring water, and guzzled it down.

Soon after finishing the water, he casually tossed the empty bottle into the trash can. Luo didn't disturb Sanbica, choosing instead to sit outside on a chair facing the lake, his expression contemplative.

At this moment, Luo was unaware of the strange trio's actions aimed at him after his departure, nor could he anticipate their increased interest following their initial failure.

He was also oblivious to another matter—the attention President Netero was now paying him, as well as Biscuit's arrival.

If Biscuit wasn’t genuinely interested in him, she would have approached Luo much sooner.

After all, with the Hunter Association’s intelligence channels, tracking Luo's movements wasn’t difficult. Plus, with only a single directive from the president, she felt secure enough to enjoy herself in Bab Town, inadvertently forgetting about Luo—an understandable oversight, in her view.

To Biscuit, at the end of the day, Luo was simply not her top priority.

Unaware of this, Luo gazed at the lake’s mirror-like surface, pondering the strange trio he had encountered.

They appeared out of nowhere and abruptly mentioned they knew the entrance to the Stajy Tomb, inviting him to join them.

Why would they want to contact him?

Luo reasoned that the clue linking Stajy Tomb with Mount Grul, along with his status as a Nen user, was particularly crucial. Otherwise, who would invite a youngster to enter a tomb with them?

Luo had been wandering around Mount Grul for some time now and noticed several people lingering in the area, fixed in their movement around the mountain—Uncle Li and Aya were among them.

The trio had gotten the clue from somewhere and successfully found the entrance to Stajy Tomb. Their search for collaborators likely stemmed from their uncertainty about conquering the tomb.

This rationale made sense.

They probably thought he was also focused on this clue.

Knowing that there were numerous unreliable reports about the whereabouts of the Stajy Tomb, many people would rather explore once than miss out, thus covering the entire forest area.

Many targets, then dispersed—often losing focus on a single spot was normal, and yielding nothing was also expected.

"Let's collaborate with them for now."

Luo seriously considered the pros and cons. What he sought was to enhance his strength, not monetary gain. In his view, as long as he had strength, he wouldn’t worry about money. He could find high-grade ingredients and make a substantial amount from the wealthiest.

A collaborator who didn’t ask for money would certainly be welcomed by treasure hunters set on the Stajy Tomb, provided someone believed in them.

After making up his mind, Luo stood up and walked back into the cabin, where Sanbica was still surfing the web.

Luo walked up to Sanbica, glanced at the screen filled with technical jargon he didn’t understand.

After a few looks, he shifted his gaze away, stretched out his hand, and tapped the table, pulling Sanbica out of her focused state.

Sanbica turned her head towards him, her eyes conveying the question her mouth did not ask.

Having spent a long time with Sanbica, two impressions were deeply engraved in his mind: her tightly covered attire and her beautiful, glossy, large eyes.

Many times, Sanbica wouldn't speak, and the only thing Luo could see were her eyes, as if they could talk.

"Today, I met three people. They seem to know the entrance to the Stajy Tomb and wanted to recruit me. After some thought, I've decided to join them. If what they say is true, we might enter the tomb soon."

Luo looked into Sanbica’s eyes and asked, "I know you're not interested in this kind of thing, but I still want to ask if you'd like to come along."

"I don't want to go."

Sanbica replied without hesitation. She could ignore the deadly conflicts among humans and could devote herself to addressing the dangers posed by infectious viruses, but she disliked the idea of tomb raiding.

Receiving this response, Luo was not surprised and nodded.

Sanbica looked at him and suddenly said, "If you need my help, I'll go."

Luo was startled, then, habitually rubbing his right eyebrow, said helplessly, "You just said you didn't want to..."

Just a tomb, could it be more dangerous than the demonic realms? With this thought, there indeed seemed no need for Sanbica’s help.

Sanbica pursed her lips and remained silent, her words reflecting her true feelings.

She genuinely did not

 want to go to the Stajy Tomb, but if Luo needed her help, she would accompany him, despite her reluctance.

However, Sanbica did not hide her thoughts, and Luo, who wouldn't make his companions do things they disliked, would not ask her to join if she expressed her reluctance.

This principle of action was one of the reasons his team had disbanded in a previous life. If he were to form a team in the future, this was an area he needed to improve on, provided he realized this point.

In life, there were many times one had to do things they didn't like, not by force but by necessity.

The next day at noon.

Luo went to Mount Grul alone, easily climbing to the summit where he was the only one present.

He hadn't specified a time when he left the previous day, but Luo knew that as long as he was on Mount Grul, the trio would soon notice him without needing him to specifically look for them.

Sure enough, about thirty minutes later, the trio once again climbed up to the summit of Mount Grul with their bare hands.

"They're here."

Luo sat on a large protruding rock at the summit, calmly watching the three.

This time, facing Luo, the trio's attitude had changed, although they did not show it, and Luo didn't notice.

Uncle Li, carrying a laptop, took a few steps forward and, looking at Luo with a hint of an unnoticeable different light in his eyes, smiled and said, "Luo, your response?"

Ruby and Aya stood to Uncle Li’s left and right, looking up at Luo on the rock. They weren't as lively as yesterday, which added a bit more seriousness to the atmosphere.

"Since you know where the entrance to the Stajy Tomb is, do I have a reason to refuse?" Luo said indifferently.

Uncle Li's eyes behind his glasses brightened, smiling, "Welcome to the team."

When hunters eye a target they cannot hunt alone, seeking partners is a normal choice. Although the profits might be lower, it increases the hunting success rate and offers many benefits in reducing risks.

After agreeing to collaborate, Luo looked at them and asked directly, "How much do you know about the Stajy Tomb?"

"Not much," Uncle Li said.

Luo frowned slightly and countered, "Not much?"

Uncle Li nodded, his smile unchanged, calmly stating, "We only know where the entrance is."

These were true statements.

"Oh?" A look of surprise appeared in Luo's eyes. He raised his index finger towards the three and said, "I have a question I'm quite curious about."

"Ask," Uncle Li responded.

Luo said, "Since you know where the entrance is, why not go in and check it out first? Maybe the items inside are easy to take. Then there would be no need to find partners."

"It’s not that we don’t want to, but we can't get in."

Uncle Li adjusted his glasses, calmly stating, "The entrance is protected by post-mortem Nen. Without an exorcist, we can't enter. We've tried many tricks, but none worked."

"About post-mortem Nen, how much do you know?"

Before Luo could answer, Uncle Li continued, "The tomb's entrance being protected by post-mortem Nen means it's not simple. Of course, the more people, the better. With you joining, the team now has twenty-four people, though that might still be too few. We were originally planning for thirty."

"Until we find an exorcist, all we can do is keep looking for worthy collaborators to strengthen the team."

"Post-mortem Nen..."

Luo raised an eyebrow, this indeed being an unexpected bonus, even overshadowing the surprise that Uncle Li’s team already had more than twenty members.

He paused, then stated calmly, "So, the reason you haven't acted yet is because you haven't found an exorcist?"

Uncle Li nodded and said, "Until we find an exorcist, we won't tell you where the entrance is. We can only maintain a partnership."

Meaning... finding an exorcist is the key to formally activating the partnership and the key to opening the tomb's entrance.

"Good thing, I am an exorcist," Luo told the three.

"Ah?"

The trio was instantly shocked.

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