Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 352 (Patreon)

Chapter 352: Waiting

This is a strange seed that feeds on flesh and blood...

After listening to Luo's account, Ging and Linne's reactions were different.

Regardless of the information's authenticity, how did Luo know about this seed?

Linne's attention was entirely on the seed, while Ging thought about more, including the possibility of false information, as if Luo had access to some special intelligence channels.

However, Ging wouldn't probe into Luo's secrets; those were just his thoughts and guesses, without any evidence to substantiate them.

To confirm if the seed was "dead" or "alive," Luo bought a pound of pork and threw it into the stone box.

At first, the seed had no reaction when it touched the blood-streaked pork. After a moment, still no movement from the seed, but the pork started to shrink at a considerable speed.

The seed was still alive...

In just twenty seconds, the pound of pork was completely consumed by the seed, not leaving a drop of blood.

The volume of the pork was several times larger than the seed, but after the pork was entirely devoured, the seed's size didn't change at all.

Throughout the process, the seed made no visible movement, as if it dissolved the pork into liquid with some invisible gastric juice and absorbed it.

Undoubtedly, this seed must be a product of the Dark Continent, and it cannot be judged by common sense.

Luo couldn't use Nen, so he didn't dare to take the risk of touching the seed, but Ging had no such concerns. After confirming that the seed was alive, he reached out with his Nen-covered hand and gently pressed the seed.

It felt somewhat warm to the touch, like touching a piece of uneven metal.

The contact lasted only two seconds before Ging abruptly withdrew his hand—the seed was absorbing his Nen.

Luo, who couldn't use Nen, didn't understand why Ging retracted his hand as if shocked, but Linne, using [Gyo], saw it clearly. She saw the Nen covering Ging's hand being absorbed by the seed.

"It absorbs Nen."

Ging stroked his chin, his interest in the seed growing.

Upon hearing Ging's words, Luo decided not to touch the seed lightly before unsealing it.

Just studying this seed felt like an insurmountable task.

In the following days, Ging unusually stayed at the Association, waiting for the ancient book hunter he contacted to arrive.

Netero had heard about this but was too busy during this period to come over.

Luo didn't leave either; his loot, the "Surprise Box," was still with Netero, and he wouldn't leave without it. But he didn't know when Netero would be free.

During these days, Ging treated the seed like a pet, feeding it various kinds of meat.

Luo repeatedly discussed the ownership of the seed with Ging. After many talks, Ging agreed to give the seed to Luo but forbade him from taking it to Greed Island.

Upon discovering the seed's ability to absorb Nen, one of the things Ging thought of was the seed's potential threat to Greed Island, akin to a nuclear bomb.

Luo certainly agreed to Ging's condition.

Two days later, the ancient book hunter hired by Ging finally arrived at the Association.

Martial prowess is a basic quality for professional hunters, regardless of their field, but among professional hunters, bounty hunters, who rely on force, are the most numerous, while gourmet hunters are relatively few.

However, among the professions with the fewest numbers, ancient book hunters hold a place.

From what Ging knew, there seemed to be only one ancient book hunter in the Association, and the one he hired was this lone ancient book hunter.

The meeting took place in Luo's room; Linne didn't come this time and was meditating in her room.

Luo and Ging sat on the sofa in the living room, with a pile of A4-sized photos on the coffee table.

These photos were all taken at an underground ruin and were related to ancient texts. As for the stone carvings, there was no need to bring those out.

"Knock, knock."

A knock on the door.

Luo said, "The door's not locked, come in directly."

The person outside opened the door upon hearing this and walked in. It was a young girl who looked very fashionable, wearing a cute tank top and hot pants.

Luo scrutinized the girl, who seemed less than eighteen, wondering if Ging's choice of ancient book hunter was reliable.

In his impression, ancient book hunters should have a deep connection with archaeologists, generally being scholarly middle-aged individuals. Age was the key, not gender.

This girl, with her orange short hair covering her ears, lively wine-red eyes, slightly pouting lips, and youthful attire, exuded a vibrant and lively aura with no trace of scholarly beauty.

Mainly, she was... too young, right?

"Who's Ging?"

The girl walked briskly towards the two and asked bluntly.

"I am." Ging raised his hand. He had a brief understanding before hiring the girl.

The girl immediately looked at Ging, took out a pen and paper from her bag, slapped them on the coffee table, and laughed, "The reward you offered is very tempting, but the procedures still need to be followed."

Ging picked up the paper and browsed through it. It was a two-part contract, apparently drafted by the girl to ensure her peace of mind.

After a quick glance, Ging saw that the contract served as a guarantee. He picked up the pen and signed his name, thus making the contract effective immediately.

The girl snatched the contract, glanced at Ging's signature, and squealed with excitement, jumping up and down as if she had already received the reward.

"Is this reliable?" Luo turned to Ging.

"Her name is Piyon, the only ancient book hunter in the Association."

Ging shrugged at Luo, then tapped the coffee table, looking at the excited Piyon, and said seriously, "Aren't you celebrating too early? Without translating all the ancient texts, you won't get the full reward."

According to the contract, Ging would pay a hefty reward, and Piyon's task was to translate the ancient texts.

If she only managed to translate half, she would receive fifty percent of the reward. If her progress was less than one-fifth, she wouldn't get any reward. Fully translating everything would earn her the entire reward.

Piyon stopped spinning around, raised her little face, and confidently said, "I'll definitely get this reward."

With that, she started examining the photos on the coffee table.

After a while, she muttered, "It's Serbo text."

"Is it difficult?" Ging asked.

Piyon looked up at Ging and said, "There's certainly some difficulty, mainly it's time-consuming. Anyway, you didn't set a deadline for me to complete the work. I'll take these photos, but I can't guarantee how long it will take to translate them. Be patient."

As soon as she finished speaking, she gathered all the photos and quickly headed towards the door.

Luo and Ging stared dumbfounded as Piyon rushed out.

After a while, Luo asked again, "Is she reliable?"

"Should be..." Ging scratched his head.

Luo felt speechless. He had a strong feeling that the girl named Piyon was unreliable. If it took too long, he wouldn't wait and would leave the Association as agreed with Linne.

...

The night was dark, and the July evening wind carried a hint of heat.

On a mountain, there was a brightly lit mansion with a vast courtyard.

At this moment, the courtyard was filled with the bodies of men in black suits, blood flowing beneath them.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.

Chrollo stood in an antique study in the mansion, quietly looking at the numerous ancient books on the bookshelf.

That night, the Phantom Troupe massacred a top tycoon's family, a plan they had been devising for nearly twenty days.

It was a real bloodbath, leaving no one alive.

Some things are immutable from the start—the Phantom Troupe remains the Phantom Troupe, always cold towards outsiders and showing no reverence for life.

Standing by the bookshelf, Chrollo suddenly took out his phone, tapped on the keyboard, and typed a reply to Luo's message.

He had received Luo's message more than twenty days ago, and now, over twenty days later, he replied.

The content was brief, just three words: "I don't know."

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