"Huh?!"
Phinks turned his head in surprise, looking at Uvogin, whose face had once again turned deadpan.
"I didn't realize you had done something like this before, planting rice seedlings, tsk!"
Phinks, with a look of curiosity, sized Uvogin up and down while clicking his tongue
Uvogin: "…"
"The food I earned through labor, what do you know about it!"
Uvogin snapped back without holding back.
"Labor, really? That word can even come out of your mouth?"
"You jerk!!"
"Stop arguing!"
Franklin intervened irritably, while Shalnark curiously asked another question: "What kind of food did you earn through labor, Uvogin?"
"Food, ahh… it was sticky rice cakes."
Uvogin casually replied: "Back then, we mainly grew glutinous rice, and then had Luke use the Mochi-Maker to make sticky rice cakes."
"Sticky rice cakes?!"
At this, not only Phinks, but even Feitan looked up.
"No wonder. I was wondering why you reeked of sticky rice cake when I saw you that day. I was thinking the sticky rice cake you stole from us couldn't possibly have been kept that long…"
Phinks suddenly realized something, then smirked and twirled his arms.
"Is the sticky rice cake delicious, Uvogin?!"
Uvogin grinned and stood up: "Of course it's delicious!"
He struck a provocative pose, ready to challenge Phinks.
"Delicious? I'll make you remember that taste even better!"
Phinks roared, then lunged at Uvogin.
"You stole my sticky rice cake!"
"I already ate the rice cake anyway, I'm not afraid of you!!!"
Uvogin met him head-on without fear, and the two quickly tangled in a fierce brawl.
Franklin: "…"
Forget it, he's not stopping them. Let them do what they want.
Franklin sat down on the ground with a look of resignation. He wouldn't have to go up every time and yell, stop fighting, to break up their brawl, would he?
Feitan had no desire to join the fight anyway, so the two of them could just wrestle one-on-one and have their fun.
Well, to Feitan, the former was the one who stole his sticky cake, and the latter was the one who dragged him into playing the villain in the first place.
They were both bastards, and he wouldn't help either of them.
In fact, if they both ended up hurting each other, Feitan wouldn't mind taking advantage of the situation.
However, with these two guys making such a fuss, the atmosphere in the warehouse did improve considerably.
"That's more like it. At least nobody looks all grim and bitter…"
Little Sarasa was pleased with her work. Well, even when Uvogin and Phinks were exchanging punches, they all pretended not to see it.
Then, she continued to listen to what Machi said about Luke.
She was genuinely curious.
And it wasn't just her; Pakunoda, Sheila, Franklin, and the Shalnark all gathered around.
Even Feitan moved closer.
They were truly curious about this key figure who had suddenly appeared in Meteor City and brought them all together.
While Uvogin and Phinks were fighting, Luke and Chrollo also found Father Lisores.
First, they asked him to help them send the kidnapped children back to their homes.
Then, led by Father Lisores, they once again sought out Elder Veyron.
"You truly didn't disappoint me."
Elder Veyron looked at Luke with a kind expression: "I didn't expect you to deliver such a remarkable performance in such a short time."
Elder Veyron has already sent someone to collect the drivers, and the man covered with tattoos.
No one cares if they live or die; their fate is already predetermined.
"I look forward to the future you're focusing on."
Elder Veyron's words were double-edged, expressing both confidence in Luke and recognition of his earlier words about focusing on the future, as well as a promise of support.
Luke had proven his ability through his actions.
Now it was Elder Veyron's turn to show the sincerity befitting an elder of Meteor City.
"Are you Chrollo?"
After making his promise to Luke, Elder Veyron looked at Chrollo, who stood quietly to the side.
"I also heard about you from Father Lisores and Luke."
The smile on Elder Veyron's face faded again, and he looked at Chrollo with scrutiny: "I would like to hear your thoughts and opinions on Meteor City."
With Luke in front of him, Elder Veyron actually had little interest in Chrollo.
But since he had come here with him and had been recommended by Luke and Father Lisores, he would give him this opportunity.
"Understood."
Chrollo nodded and stepped forward.
Originally, he hadn't intended to come along.
It was Luke who called him and brought him along.
'I know you have great dreams and ambitions…'
'And if you want to realize them, you'll need the help of the elders.'
'Even if you haven't realized it yet, for the sake of our team's development, earn the respect you deserve.'
It was precisely because of these words that Chrollo followed Luke here.
And now, faced with the opportunity presented by Elder Veyron, Chrollo began to fully demonstrate himself.
"I believe this world is undergoing a communications revolution…"
This first sentence surprised Elder Veyron, who was initially nonchalant.
"People all over the world can connect instantly at the speed of light."
Chrollo analyzed seriously: "Information sent by an individual can be seen by everyone in the world."
"The environment of society will undergo drastic changes..."
Elder Veyron couldn't help but sit up a little straighter.
Chrollo continued: "Those who kidnap the children in Meteor City must have recordings in their hands.
"At the beginning, they said they would leave messages, which shows their strong desire to perform…"
"These guys… If they find an opportunity, or a stage that provides them with a chance to show off…"
"They will be eager to publish their works to the world."
"Evil deeds must be kept secret, and this is also true with new forms of communications!"
"In a world where countless lights carry information back and forth, national borders still exist."
"Passing through the national borders is regulated, so they will definitely look for a backdoor."
"We must prepare this backdoor in advance."