It takes an hour to drive from Bit Airport to the Ohara Museum.
On the way to the Ohara Museum, Salin found the books she had brought along with her light luggage a bit cumbersome, so she asked the driver to detour to the hotel she had booked in advance.
She was still in a bit of a hurry.
Every year during the Appreciation Conference, hotels near the Ohara Museum are fully booked, and rooms must be reserved well in advance.
This is because most of the guests attending the Appreciation Conference are wealthy and bring along numerous bodyguards and subordinates, often booking entire floors of hotels.
An hour later, Salin entered the hotel lobby and frowned at the line waiting for check-in. There was nothing to do but wait.
After nearly two hours of waiting, Salin finally completed the check-in process. She left her books and luggage in the room and hurried out of the hotel, heading straight for the Ohara Museum.
It was now around 3 p.m.
The Ohara Museum is located in a private park and is one of Bit City's most iconic landmarks. It was constructed from three ancient thousand-year-old trees and designed by five of the world's most renowned architects.
The ancient trees were felled in a remote, uninhabited forest and transported to Bit City at great expense and effort before being transformed into this awe-inspiring structure.
The three trees stand opposite each other, with doors and windows carved into them while preserving their natural foundations as much as possible. Multiple aerial walkways connect the trees.
Not far away stand two modern palace-style buildings primarily made of wood, designed to blend in with the surrounding park environment and complement the iconic Ohara Museum.
These two buildings serve as Clover's residence and the quarters for his servants and staff.
Creating a private park within the city, transporting three ancient trees from a distant location, and turning them into a famous museum filled with valuable collections… this is the epitome of extravagance.
It's no exaggeration to say that the area where the Ohara Museum is located is truly worth every inch of its weight in gold.
Salin arrived at the small square in front of the Ohara Museum's main gate, where a humanoid statue standing five to six meters tall towered in the center… a likeness of Clover.
The main gate consisted of imposing double iron-barred doors, with towering white walls extending outward on both sides. Two large guard posts stood opposite each other, with six black-suited bodyguards stationed outside and no fewer than twenty more inside.
The bodyguards have different skin colors, but they all shared one common trait: they were tall and burly.
"Just like the rumors say… heavily guarded."
Salin mused to herself. Though the Ohara Museum was a private institution and not open to the public, its security measures surpassed those of any other museum.
After all, while Clover named this place the Ohara Museum, it was also his residence. Naturally, security couldn't be lax.
Salin pulled out a small, exquisitely crafted gilded invitation from her pocket, then, ignoring the prying eyes around her, she walked toward the guard post.
Those prying eyes belonged to a group of reporters who hadn't managed to secure invitations.
To obtain an invitation, one needed to meet at least one of the following criteria: being a renowned collector, wealthy, influential, or highly knowledgeable.
The reporters allowed to cover the Appreciation Conference were handpicked by Clover's organizers, which was why many unaccredited journalists lurked in the distance.
Outside the guard post, a bodyguard coldly eyed Salin as she approached. His gaze swept over the invitation in her hand, and his stern expression softened slightly as he stepped forward to meet her.
Five meters… that was the distance between the bodyguard and Salin when they both stopped, still a short way from the main gate.
Salin handed over the invitation. The bodyguard took it and carefully inspected it before opening it to retrieve a card resembling an ID pass, complete with a headshot.
Though the Appreciation Conference wouldn't officially begin until the day after tomorrow, Salin wasn't the only guest arriving early.
After a thorough verification, the bodyguard returned the invitation to Salin and stepped aside, gesturing for her to proceed.
Salin nodded at him and walked toward the main gate.
Creak…
The iron gates swung open. Not far away, several small open-top tour vehicles stood ready, attended by men in butler uniforms wearing white gloves.
Salin calmly boarded one of the tour vehicles. The driver got in as well, started the engine, and drove along the wide road toward the distant palace-like buildings.
…
Bit City, Highlander Plaza.
Outside a fast-food restaurant, a group of people dressed in various styles occupied three tables. Perhaps due to the intimidating aura they unintentionally emitted, the surrounding area had turned into a vacuum zone, standing out starkly against the lively atmosphere of the plaza.
This group was none other than the Phantom Troupe, who had come for the Appreciation Conference. Each member had slightly altered their appearance… some wore hats, others sunglasses.
The three tables were pushed together, forming one large surface covered with burgers, fries, and sodas. All the members sat around it.
The baby-faced Shalnark placed a printed itinerary on the table and said, "By noon the day after tomorrow, all one hundred invited guests will have arrived. According to the host's rules, each guest can only bring five bodyguards."
"Given the limit on numbers, and considering the high-profile status of the attendees, the bodyguards they choose will likely be elite among elites. That means, on top of the Ohara Museum's own security, we'll be facing around five hundred top-tier bodyguards."
"The schedule for the Appraisal Conference is as follows: At noon, the host and guests will dine in the mansion. The meal ends at 1 p.m., after which they'll walk three minutes to the Ohara Museum to begin the conference."
"It ends at 5:30 p.m., followed by an outdoor banquet."
"During the banquet, around 7:30 p.m., three extremely valuable treasures will be displayed on a specially built stage. Rumor has it one of them is one of the Seven Beauties of the World."
"Right now, we can't confirm how many guards the organizers have, nor how many of those five hundred bodyguards might be Nen Users. While the extra five hundred bodyguards are bad news, the good news is that most guests will have brought their own treasures."
Shalnark gave a rough breakdown of the Appraisal Conference's schedule. Once finished, he looked at Chrollo and asked, "Before finalizing the plan, we need to decide whether to go with a full-frontal assault or a stealth approach. Boss, should you decide, or should we vote?"
Though Shalnark was younger than most in the Troupe, he was often the one to draft their plans, and gathering intel was one of his primary roles.
"Vote." The Boss replied coolly.
The moment the word left his mouth, the battle-hungry Uvogin grinned and cast the first vote. "Frontal assault."
"Stealth." Machi.
"Stealth." Pakunoda.
"Frontal assault." Feitan.
"Stealth." Nobunaga.
Uvogin glared at Nobunaga and said sarcastically, "Coward."
Nobunaga ignored him, 'Did Uvogin really think the Ohara Museum's defenses were just for show?'
The votes were quickly tallied… 10 to 3. Stealth won.
With the results in, Shalnark smiled and raised three fingers.
"Coincidentally, the three people who voted for a frontal assault are the members of the team responsible for the diversion."