Moro should have arrived at his destination a week ago, assuming a smooth trip from Heavens Arena to the Kukkan-yu Kingdom.
However, the unexpected incident on the airship delayed him until now.
If it weren't for the boost in his level from Lv. 7 to Lv. 22, causing a shift in his mentality.
Coupled with Argo's intelligence that the Phantom Troupe was still operating dispersed within the Kukkan-yu Kingdom, Moro might very well have turned around and returned to Heavens Arena.
Now, seeing Hisoka in the cafe, Moro was surprised, but quickly withdrew his gaze.
The surrounding customers, after glancing at Hisoka, also retracted their attention.
The reactions of the older customers were relatively normal, but some younger people openly discussed the teardrop makeup on Hisoka's face and his extremely conspicuous pointy red boots.
As they spoke, they laughed out loud without inhibition.
Hisoka wasn't far from them and naturally heard the ridicule.
But he showed no reaction, seating himself on a high stool in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, resting his elbows on the table, and gazing at the crowds passing by on the street outside, with the back of his hand against his cheek and his narrow eyes.
At the seating area near the glass door.
Moro glanced out of the corner of his eye at the group of young people whose laughter was growing louder.
These young people had no idea that the person they were ridiculing was a pervert who could effortlessly crush them.
Release the desire to help, respect the fate of others.
Moro listened to the comments, such as, "Why doesn't he wear a red nose?" coming from over there, and forcibly prevented himself from imagining the scene, using a spoon to gently stir his coffee.
If he remembered correctly, Hisoka should be joining the Phantom Troupe this year...
There are normally two ways to join the Phantom Troupe.
One is to kill a member of the Troupe and take their place.
However, this rule is not absolute.
The other is for Chrollo to actively seek a suitable new member after a vacancy appears in the Troupe.
Chrollo's Skill Hunter contains a Nen ability that can "find a desired subject."
With this Nen ability, Chrollo can search for people who meet his requirements, thus selectively filling member vacancies.
Chrollo also used this ability in the original storyline to specifically prepare a tactical set composed of various Nen abilities for Hisoka, directly beating Hisoka so badly he couldn't fight back.
And also in a fan fiction called The Exorcist, in order to kill a powerful Nen user, he specifically collected a targeted Nen ability system.
Unfortunately, he was ultimately defeated by that powerful Nen user, leading to the complete annihilation of the Troupe.
Essentially, the overall composition of the Troupe is not a makeshift operation.
It has specialized combat personnel focused on frontal assaults, intelligence personnel who scout the path ahead, and functional members who can support diverse plans.
Chrollo's ability to seek out people ensures that this system of team division of labor persists.
Hisoka joined the Phantom Troupe this year, not by being actively sought out by Chrollo, but by targeting the current No. 4 member of the Troupe.
However, although Hisoka indeed replaced the No. 4 position in the original plot, the former No. 4 member was not killed by him.
Thinking about it now, Hisoka's appearance at this point in time basically confirms that he will be targeting the No. 4 member soon and subsequently join the Troupe.
Moro then recalled that Silva was hunting the Troupe's No. 8 member, and he had probably caught up to Kanda City by now...
Seen this way, Hisoka, who is keen on one-on-one combat, might have gotten an opportunity to duel the Troupe's No. 4 member precisely because of Silva's actions.
Moro lowered his eyelids, stopping the movement of stirring his coffee.
He pieced together the scattered pieces of information, arriving at a rough conclusion.
He then thought of the established plot development where "Hisoka did not definitively kill the Troupe's No. 4 member."
In that case...
Was there another chance to exploit a loophole?
And was this potential, yet unknown, gain worth the risk?
Moro involuntarily contemplated the feasibility of this matter.
Mainly because the leveling experience on the airship was so immensely rewarding.
It allowed him to jump to over Level 20 in such a short time and earned him the new Nen ability slot reward after the upgrade.
Moro had a premonition that this direct and brutal leveling system would likely grant him at least one more reward for an enhanced skill as his level increased.
Even if it didn't, the direct increase in visible aura and potential aura was tantamount to indirectly increasing the power of his Nen abilities.
Thus, Moro's desire for level advancement had been completely activated.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained..."
Moro looked down at the coffee in his cup, the spoon lightly tapping the rim, causing ripples to spread across the dark brown liquid again.
Reward and risk coexist.
This is the principle of Vow and Restriction.
Moro made his decision.
He would sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, then calmly wait for an opportunity to arise.
If an opportunity presented itself, he would act decisively; if not, he would withdraw quickly.
The Phantom Troupe, Silva, Hisoka...
Placing these people on the chessboard is the advantage that the information asymmetry gives Moro.
The sky was getting dark, and customers came and went in the cafe.
The group of young people who had been ridiculing Hisoka, having seemingly had enough of their fun, finally stopped paying attention to him.
Hisoka, from beginning to end, ignored the young people's mockery.
He continued to stare at the crowds on the street outside, as if trying to find the target of his trip within the throng.
"It's so hard to choose."
Hisoka's narrow eyes slightly narrowed.
The Phantom Troupe—
This new prey that captivated him endlessly.
But he had no interest in team battles.
His pursuit was always a one-on-one fight to the death.
Therefore, he would only choose a target that met his minimum requirements from among the scattered Spiders.
The sun set, and night descended.
The city lights turned on one by one.
Hisoka suddenly got down from his stool and walked straight toward the exit.
The few young people nearby watched Hisoka walk past.
Glancing at the two heart patterns on Hisoka's chest, they couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
But Hisoka still ignored their presence, pushed open the glass door, and walked out of the cafe.
Moro didn't look toward the glass door until the jingle of the bell ceased, feeling a little surprised.
Although he knew Hisoka had no interest in ordinary people, to be ridiculed so openly and yet remain indifferent...
This was quite unexpected for Moro.
Moro glanced at the group of young people who were still talking, shook his head slightly, picked up his cup, drank the now-cold coffee, and then stood up to head for the exit.
Just then, a huge noise suddenly came from afar.
The magnitude of the commotion shocked the customers in the cafe into silence by reflex.
Both Moro inside the cafe and Hisoka on the street outside looked in the direction of the sound.
At that instant, the same gleam flashed in both their eyes.
Simultaneously.
At a fountain plaza.
Silva slowly stood up. At his feet was a corpse with a severely sunken back.
Not far in front of Silva were Chrollo and a few members of the Phantom Troupe.
They looked at Silva, who had descended like a meteor to take the life of a Troupe member, their eyes cold and filled with undisguised killing intent.
(End of this Chapter)
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