NOVEL WEB Chapter 274: Chapter 274
"Ron, Wendy, thank you both."
Ralph bowed deeply to them.
"It's because of you that we can live like this now. Otherwise, we might still be in the slums of that decrepit city—or maybe not even alive at all."
Ralph understood clearly the nature of those monsters, how they slaughtered each other. If he were exposed, given his current strength, he would almost certainly die at their hands.
Those fully fused monsters were definitely stronger than he was. And if he were gone, could Lilith and the others survive? Probably not.
When he first heard that they would head for the Fiora Kingdom, Ralph felt uneasy about their future. Yet, after arriving and settling down in Gik City for a while, he gradually relaxed—especially once he encountered the Nen users in Gik City.
One of them was from the Beast Dojo. Seeing that person made Ralph think: even though he had fused with a monster, he wasn't so different from that Beast Dojo Nen user. Even if he revealed his ability, he wouldn't be ridiculed or shunned. And after learning Nen, he fit in more easily. Lilith, Haji, and Hasan were all leading peaceful, happy lives. What else could he possibly complain about?
Only now did Ralph feel truly grateful toward Ron and Wendy.
"No need to mention it," Ron said, waving a hand. "I didn't really do much; all of this was arranged by Senior Dominica. Right, I brought a few gifts for you, in the car."
With that, Ron walked outside to the car. Wendy pressed the key fob, and the trunk popped open.
"Lilith, these are for you. I didn't know what you might like, so I just bought a few random things. I hope you'll enjoy them—here are some snacks, and here are some toys."
"Thank you, Big Brother!"
Lilith and the other two cheered excitedly over the gifts.
Just then, Ralph's phone suddenly rang. He answered it, and an urgent voice came through:
"Ralph, come to the northwestern garden, hurry!"
Ralph's expression turned serious. "Ron, Wendy, I need to go for a bit."
"All right."
With that, he sprinted off toward the northwest at high speed.
Ron looked at Wendy. "Wendy, should we go check it out too?"
Wendy hesitated. "Let me contact the senior from the Dragon Dojo who's stationed here first."
Fiora's three major dojos were the most important bases for training Nen users. Not all Nen users only practice their abilities all day—there's also daily life, and Fiora requires them to take on certain responsibilities. So, once they come of age, many leave the dojo to serve in various roles across the kingdom, helping maintain Fiora's stability.
In Fiora, Nen users typically don't mix much with ordinary citizens, instead operating in secret. These people are called Dark Hunters, forming one Dark Hunter squad per city. Ralph had joined the squad in Gik City.
Wendy dialed a number, and someone quickly picked up.
"Hello?"
"Senior Ina, it's Wendy."
There was a brief silence.
"Wendy… Ina has already been killed."
Wendy's eyes widened in shock. The voice continued, "Are you in Gik City, Wendy? Don't wander around. It's very dangerous here right now. Never mind—tell me where you are, and I'll come get you."
Wendy gave their address. Before long, a car arrived, driven by a middle-aged man named Gonte—someone Wendy knew. He was also from one of Fiora's three dojos, though from the Beast Dojo rather than the Dragon Dojo. He and Ina had been in a rather ambiguous relationship; both were divorced.
"Who's this?" Gonte asked, noticing Ron beside Wendy.
"This is Ron, a good friend of mine from the Zoldyck Family."
"Zoldyck Family, huh?" Gonte raised an eyebrow. "Get in."
Ron and Wendy climbed into the car.
"Lilith, all of you head back inside. Don't run around. Wait for Ralph or us to return."
"Okay!"
Lilith and the others hurried inside and watched the car from the window. Gonte started the engine, and they quickly disappeared from view.
"Senior Gonte, what's going on in Gik City right now? How did Senior Ina end up dying?" Wendy asked anxiously.
Ina was an older mentor from the Dragon Dojo whom Wendy had been quite close to. Back then, Wendy was practically an orphan, and things only changed when she joined the Dragon Dojo. Dominica had played the fatherly role, while Ina had given Wendy the kind of motherly care she needed. Wendy's eyes were red.
"You remember how the Nirvana Tournament was attacked, right?"
"Yes."
"The people who did that weren't just remnants of the Taris Nation; some were from the Mingbo Republic as well," Gonte explained. "Gik City hides a deeper secret. Long, long ago, a fierce battle took place here. In a certain place in Gik City, a head was sealed away. I only learned about it recently.
"It was the head of Rosgel, the hero of the Mingbo Republic. Mingbo gained independence largely because he rose from nowhere, but while the republic was freed, Rosgel died. His Nen was extremely powerful, and right before his death, there were signs he would generate a 'death Nen.'
"So our Fiora Kingdom took Rosgel's corpse, dismembered and sealed it. They divided it into six parts: the head, left arm, right arm, torso, left leg, and right leg.
"This time, the people of the Mingbo Republic are after Rosgel's remains. They want to break the seal. They plan to start a war against Fiora, and Rosgel's body is just the beginning. Some of them have already infiltrated Gik City. Ina was killed by them. One of them uses fire, burning her with intense flames… not much was left of her body. Only a charred remnant."
As Gonte spoke, his eyes grew moist. A tear fell onto the steering wheel with a soft tap.
...........
.....
.
Eventually, the car stopped. Gonte got out and opened a door leading to a long hallway. He walked down it and halted.
"Captain."
Several people turned. Gonte nodded. In the crowd, Ron spotted Ralph. Gonte said, "All of Gik City's Dark Hunter squad members are here now. We originally had over twenty, but just now, Ina's entire team was basically wiped out. I only learned about Rosgel's head from the information Ina left behind."
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