Chapter 174: The Phantom Troupe Appears
Thud!
Momoze covered her mouth with both hands, watching Tuffdy's body fall before her, his face filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Her claim of not hating Tuffdy was sincere, even though he had tried to kill her.
Born into royalty, she had witnessed too many such incidents. In her view, these guards and bodyguards were merely tools carrying out their missions.
But what did any of this have to do with Mord?
As Mord had said, his purpose on this ship was mostly to witness various novel Nen Abilities. His goal had never been the so-called Succession Contest.
At his current level, he was no longer bound by something as insignificant as the Kakin Empire.
Even if it had now become a V6 nation.
Not long ago, Mord had single-handedly stormed the Federation of Ochima, another V6 nation, killed one of their major generals, and "tricked" a group of researchers into leaving with him.
"Thank you for saving me," Momoze said with utmost solemnity, performing the highest gesture of gratitude in the Kakin royal tradition. "May I know the name of my savior?"
"Mord."
Mord casually waved his hand and said, "The remaining guards in your residence were all planted by the Upper Queen with ulterior motives. They could have taken your life at any moment, so I took care of them."
Although she had mentally prepared herself for this outcome, Momoze's face grew even paler upon hearing this harsh truth.
"You should be safe for now," Mord said as he turned to leave.
Watching his retreating figure, Momoze hesitated for a long moment before finally gathering her courage to shout, "Lord Mord, may I request your protection? I want to live!"
"I'll return. Rest well for now—I'll have a favor to ask once you've recovered," Mord stopped and replied. "Remember to notify the royal guards to dispose of the bodies. Tell them these men attempted to assassinate you—the ligature marks on your neck are perfect evidence."
"Yes, I'll remember," Momoze nodded emphatically, her face glowing with a radiance she hadn't possessed before.
Lord Mord said he needs to ask me for something.
Momoze clenched her small fists tightly. This feeling of being cared for and needed was truly wonderful.
In Momoze's eyes, she had become a new person now.
Since this man before her had given her new life, it stood to reason that everything about her belonged to him, including whatever remained of her life.
Having returned from death's doorstep, Momoze had gained a deeper understanding of life.
Now, she no longer wished to die.
She would live—solely for that man.
...
Mord's En could now easily encompass the entire first floor without being detected by ordinary Nen users.
Even without any guards, as long as he wanted to keep Momoze safe, no one could harm her.
Mord was considering studying the Guardian Nen Beasts of these princes, and Momoze seemed like a suitable subject. However, she was currently in an extremely weakened state, and her Guardian Nen Beast had disappeared along with her condition. He would need to wait until she recovered somewhat—there was plenty of time anyway.
The thought of having to remain on this ship for nearly two more months made Mord want to yawn out of boredom.
Being invincible truly was lonely.
However, for ordinary people, life on the ship was far from pleasant and completely different from what they had imagined.
On the lower decks, crime was spreading faster than anticipated.
Racial conflicts, drunken brawls, theft, rape, and other violent incidents occurred frequently, creating utter chaos in various forms.
The response from the Kakin army was abysmal, and if this continued, the worst-case scenario—a full-scale riot—was highly likely.
To prevent such an outcome,
Mizaistom Nana, the "Ox" of the Zodiacs, and Botobai, the "Dragon," stepped in as supporting roles to lead the military and civilian guards in maintaining security and stability.
Among them, Botobai took direct command at the central courthouse on the third deck. As an international terrorist hunter, he handled the situation with ease.
...
Black Whale, Fifth Deck.
Central Dining Hall.
As the main dining area for all passengers on the fifth deck, it was currently mealtime, and the place was already packed to capacity.
It's worth noting that this was a massive hall capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people.
At the very center of the dining hall stood a banquet table—a forbidden spot on this deck that no one dared to approach.
Those without seats would rather eat standing in a corner than sit at this table.
Yet, at that moment, nine people were seated around this banquet table.
Chrollo, Feitan, Machi, Shalnark, Franklin, Pakunoda, Shizuku, Kortopi, and Kalluto.
The Phantom Troupe, all present!
"We only got word from Hisoka that Mord would board the ship to the Dark Continent, but we still don't know which deck Mord is on."
"If Mord is boarding, it's likely through the Hunter Association's channels. Based on the information we have, every deck has Hunter Association personnel."
The Phantom Troupe members conversed openly, completely ignoring the strange glances from those around them.
Decks 3 to 5 were nominally designated as general passenger areas.
In reality, these decks were frequented by members of underworld families.
The Cha-R family occupied the fifth deck, the Xi-Yu family the fourth, and the Heil-Ly family the third.
Ordinary passengers, who earned meager incomes through labor, cheap services, acting as test subjects, organ sales, and post-disembarkation contracts—already heavily taxed by the state—had the pittance that remained snatched away by the underworld.
It could be said that once ordinary passengers boarded this ship, they were nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
As the Phantom Troupe dined and discussed, a group of people approached from a distance.
Upon seeing them, the ordinary passengers panicked, scrambling to avoid them, and the chaotic dining hall immediately cleared a path.
Each of the newcomers bore rose tattoos—the symbol of the Cha-R family.
The main players had arrived.
The Cha-R family members quickly surrounded the banquet table where the Phantom Troupe sat. A bearded man among them spoke up, "Sorry, this area has been reserved by us. Please move."
Chrollo, unfazed, replied, "We'll be using this spot. Kindly relocate elsewhere."
Seeing that the other party showed no intention of backing down, someone from the Cha-R family drew a gun but was stopped by the bearded man's raised hand.
Clearly, the bearded man had recognized Chrollo and the others' identities.
"You're the Phantom Troupe, right? Quite famous in this line of work."
"I've heard about the commotion you caused in Yorknew City. I don't want conflict with you, but I won't tolerate being looked down upon either. If you leave peacefully, we won't take action against you. You must have your reasons for boarding this ship—we can assist you." The bearded man spoke.
Swish!