As is well known, to a group of Princes actively preparing for a Succession Contest, every move their father makes is worthy of intense scrutiny.
As word spread that King Nasubi of Kakin had hosted a lavish banquet at the palace to warmly entertain a group of strangers, every Prince interested in the throne began to fixate their gaze on Allen and his companions. They immediately mobilized all available resources to investigate this small team, peeling back every layer of their background.
Although the V5 had blocked all information related to Allen on the internet, such a minor obstacle meant nothing to those standing at the apex of the power pyramid.
When they obtained his complete mission records as a Hunter, along with a kill list spanning over a dozen pages, every Prince felt a jolt of shock, their scalps tingling with dread.
By a careful count, in the brief span of roughly two years, the total number of lives taken by Allen, including Chimera Ants, had exceeded five digits!
That was over ten thousand!
A true "slaughterer of ten thousand"!
The vast majority of them were Nen users. He was the strongest, forged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. There was no room for talk of luck or fluke.
To the Princes, this was like having the sharpest sword in existence placed before them; whoever secured it would instantly gain a decisive advantage in the Succession Contest. However, they didn't dare make contact too early or too directly, fearing they might provoke King Nasubi.
Consequently, over the next few days, Allen received a constant influx of various gifts. They ranged from famous swords and custom-made firearms to gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, pocket watches, cars, airships, yachts, and fine art. Even more absurdly, some went as far as sending women...
By the time Kite arrived with the little rabbit Hina, the entire room was piled high with items totaling over 100 billion Jenny in value.
"Did you guys rob a major auction house?"
With her long, burgundy hair, Kite stared at the mountain of gifts, her face a mask of astonishment.
"Rob? Do you think someone with my net worth needs to resort to robbery?" Allen countered with a smile, fiddling with two exquisite, large-caliber revolvers.
"Then these things are..." Kite leaned down and picked up a diamond bracelet someone had tossed onto the sofa, her voice tinged with confusion.
"They were sent by the Princes of Kakin. Those people are trying to curry favor with Allen, hoping he'll assist them in the upcoming Succession Contest. Among them, First Prince Benjamin, Second Prince Camilla, Third Prince Zhang Lei, Fourth Prince Tserriednich, and Sixth Prince Tyson sent the most," Baise explained nonchalantly.
At this moment, her ten fingers were adorned with expensive gemstone rings of various colors, and her body was draped in shimmering jewelry. She looked like a walking, talking treasury.
"Sending gifts to the Grim Reaper? They certainly have some imagination," Kite sneered sarcastically.
Allen nodded slightly. "It is indeed foolish. But these Princes aren't aware of the history between me, Beyond, and Nasubi. They likely mistakenly believe I was hired to escort the expedition to the Dark Continent, hence the attempt to win me over."
"So, what do you plan to do? Play along? Or give those Princes a clear hint?" Kite probed, her purple pupils, identical to those of the Ant King, tracking his movements.
"No, I won't do anything. Let the Princes speculate as they please. More importantly, you, changing from male to female, are there any physiological discomforts?" Allen asked, looking Kite up and down with genuine curiosity.
Kite looked down at her palms, then replied with a bitter smile, "I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps due to the powerful adaptability of Chimera Ant genes, I don't feel much out of the ordinary. The only issue might be an intense craving for high-quality food. That's one of the reasons I want to go to the Dark Continent. Only things from that place can satisfy my voracious appetite."
"I see. Oh, right, Ging has been wanting to see you before we set sail to check on your condition." Allen passed along Ging's message directly.
Through simple observation, he could confirm that the girl before him, who appeared to be in her mid-teens, was, biologically, a living Chimera Ant Queen. Although Kite was doing her best to suppress the brutal instincts of an Ant, there was still an underlying risk. Only an expert like Ging could address it.
"Understood. I'll go find him now." Kite was clearly aware of her own state as well; she asked for the address without a word and pushed through the door.
Once she had completely departed, Allen turned his gaze to the little rabbit frolicking in the pile of jewelry. "How have you been faring under the surveillance of the Hunter Association lately?"
"Mmm... not bad, I guess. Though they keep making me perform Exorcism on some really strange things," Hina replied while frantically stuffing jewelry into her pockets and backpack, a total little money-grubber.
"And have you been training your abilities properly?" Allen asked with interest.
According to the Hunter Association's regulations, he technically still held the rights to monitor and dispose of this little rabbit. Hina knew this well and nodded vigorously. "Of course! I've been following your orders and practicing Exorcism non-stop. Now, I only need three days to completely digest any Nen I consume."
Hearing this, Allen's expression shifted to one of satisfaction. "Very good! I look forward to your performance. If you do well enough during this journey, I will grant you true freedom and let you live like a normal human."
"Understood! I'll work hard!" With that, Hina clutched her heavy backpack and sat in the corner of the room to play on her phone.
It was clear her personality was relatively simple; aside from being a bit greedy, she was easily satisfied. Most importantly, she had never shown any predatory intent or hostility toward humans, making her one of the few harmless types among the Chimera Ants. In Allen's eyes, this little rabbit was much safer than the reincarnated Kite. The latter even possessed the potential to create a new Chimera Ant army in a very short time.
With the arrival of Kite and Hina, all members of the team were finally in place. The next steps were to investigate the location of the Seed Urn and wait patiently for the departure date. As for the Princes' frequent maneuvers, Allen didn't give them a second thought, let alone intend to participate.
But just because he wasn't participating didn't mean others weren't.
Kurapika, who had been specifically invited by Cheadle to join the Zodiacs, was currently doing everything in his power to plant his people near Fourth Prince Tserriednich, preparing for the chance to reclaim his clansmen's eyes. To achieve this, the Avenger had invited many friends and experienced Hunters.
However, he did not know that this was a conspiracy already set in motion, and the mastermind had also quietly secured a ticket for the ship...
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]