Law's speculation wasn't meant maliciously. If it weren't for Ponzu being there, perhaps he wouldn't have had that feeling.
But whether it was yuri or not had nothing to do with him.
As for that so-called Budera Palace, without any prior information, Law's interest was lacking.
However, he could mostly guess that the reason Xiaoyu came to take the test might be related to Budera Palace.
After exchanging a few more meaningless words with Xiaoyu, she and Ponzu bid farewell to Law and continued shopping.
Law headed back towards the hotel, thinking, 'In the original predetermined future, Ponzu, like Pokkle, would end up as food for the Chimera Ants, though that probably wouldn't happen now, right?'
He shook his head, dismissing these thoughts, and returned to the hotel, going straight to his room.
After entering the room, Law glanced at the computer on the desk, walked over, turned it on, and started searching for information about Budera Palace.
It turned out that Budera Palace was the site of an ancient kingdom that suddenly vanished without a trace centuries ago.
It was said that Budera Palace held countless treasures, looted by the king during his lifetime using armies of a hundred beasts and a hundred insects.
'Hundred Beast Garden and Hundred Insect Garden?'
Law noticed that aside from the long-circulated tales of countless treasures, the most prominent information about Budera Palace was the Hundred Beast Garden and the Hundred Insect Garden.
'No wonder Ponzu is interested.'
Connecting it to Ponzu's ability to control bees, and her likely aspiration to become an Insect Hunter, it wasn't surprising that she would be drawn to the Hundred Insect Garden.
As for the Hundred Beast Garden, it might be related to Phantom Beasts. He felt that if Xiaoyu were to invite Pokkle to join, Pokkle would probably agree without hesitation.
Both Insect Hunters and Phantom Beast Hunters fall within the category of Biological Hunters.
'Although the exact depth of Budera Palace's secrets was unclear, if Feng Xiaoyu could find it, perhaps some Nen-carrying antiques would be unearthed.'
After pondering for a long time, Law still decided not to go. However, he could have Xiaoyu keep an eye out for ancient artifacts, which he could then purchase at a high price later.
He spent another day at the hotel. The next day, Law boarded the first airship and informed Kurapika.
He didn't tell Kurapika where he was going, only stating that the test had begun.
Learning that Law had already left, Kurapika quickly memorized all the locations the airship would pass through and then waited patiently.
Finally, in the afternoon, the airship arrived at the airport. Kurapika boarded the second airship and left Oasis City.
And so, the qualified examinees of this year went their separate ways. Whether they would gather together again in the future remained unknown.
A week later, in a cramped rented room.
Thud.
A tumbler toy fell to the ground, making a sound.
Leorio threw off the covers, sat up, his face drowsy with severe dark circles under his eyes.
He glanced at the clock on the wall, and it was exactly 6:30.
Leorio stretched, got out of bed, and methodically went through his washing routine, his mind running through today's work schedule.
'Excluding meal times, I had five hours of sleep today. Not bad, forty minutes more than the day before yesterday and yesterday.'
After washing up, Leorio vigorously patted his cheeks to perk himself up, then opened the door and stepped out.
An envelope slowly fluttered to the ground.
Leorio stopped, bent down to pick up the envelope, opened it, took out the letter inside, and unfolded it to read.
"Huh?"
Leorio's eyes widened, as if he had seen something shocking.
A moment later, he pinched his thigh hard and couldn't help but let out a low cry of pain.
'It wasn't a dream!'
Leorio stood there in a daze.
'Someone had actually taken on my tuition assistance application? That was a huge sum of money!'
…
Mountain Mist City, a first-tier city.
In an alley in the old city district, there was a small restaurant with very few customers.
Law sat at the counter, comfortably eating ramen. Next to him were stacked over twenty large bowls, along with several carefully packaged parcels.
The owner was an old man past seventy, his face covered with age spots, his eyes very small, wearing a yellowish chef's hat.
'It had been a long time since I had sold so many bowls of noodles in a single day, even if only one customer had ordered them all.'
The owner thought to himself, kneading the dough with his aged hands, knuckles severely prominent, the force applied just right.
Slurp.
Law finished the noodles in his bowl, placed the empty bowl to the side, then looked up at the clock.
'He should be here by now.'
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the door of the small restaurant was pulled open, and a young man in a courier uniform walked in.
"Are you Mr. Law?" The courier asked, approaching Law.
Law nodded and took out his Hunter License.
The courier immediately produced a scanning device, scanned the license, and after a beep, promptly put the device away.
"Your commission has been confirmed and received," The courier said solemnly.
Law pointed to the parcels on the counter. The courier understood, picked up the parcels, bowed to Law, and then left the noodle shop.
Watching the courier leave, Law put away his Hunter License.
Since obtaining the license, Law had discovered a useful function: highly efficient, free global courier services.
No matter which city or town he was in, just one call and a courier would arrive promptly, with astonishing delivery efficiency.
Thus, Law had packed up some of the delicious food he had found during this time and sent them directly to Ellie and the others.
"Customer, your noodles."
At that moment, the owner brought over a freshly cooked bowl of noodles.
"Thank you."
Law took the noodles and buried his head in eating again.
Just as this bowl was nearly finished, the wooden door opened.
"Grandpa, I'm back!"
A middle school-aged girl rushed into the small restaurant.
Seeing a customer, she immediately restrained herself, stuck out her tongue sheepishly, then closed the door and ran into the inner room.
Shortly after, she secretly peeked her head out, sneaking a look at Law sitting at the counter. From this angle, she could only see his profile.
Behind the counter, the owner gave Law an apologetic smile.
Law didn't mind at all and said, "One more bowl, please."
The owner instinctively glanced at the tall stack of large bowls and said, "Just a moment."
A moment later, Law suddenly asked, "Boss, do you have any spare empty rooms here?"
The owner, who was cooking noodles, was taken aback and replied, "Yes, I do."
"Can I stay here for a few days? I'll pay," Law said, glancing at the wooden signs above him listing various dishes.
"This…" The owner didn't know how to respond.
"If it's inconvenient, that's alright," Law said with a smile.
The owner was silent for a moment, then said, "There are many inns and hotels in the city."
But Law pointed at the signs with the dish names and said, "I'm waiting for someone. I need to stay here for a few days, but the city is quite far from here, and I only want to eat my meals here during this time."
The owner understood and, after hesitating for a moment, nodded. "If you don't mind the conditions, you can stay here for a few days."
"Ah!"
A low exclamation came from the inner room.
Law and the owner looked over, and the girl had already pulled her head back.
"I'll only stay for two days. I won't disturb you for too long," Law said to the owner with a smile.
The owner seemed to be a man of few words. He nodded and focused on cooking the noodles.
Law watched the owner cook and suddenly asked, "Is this area scheduled for demolition?"
"Yes," The owner's movements paused for a moment, his tone nostalgic. "Old houses don't receive new favor. I don't know what's so good about those tall, hard buildings."
Law smiled and didn't respond.
He liked the taste of this small restaurant.
He was here, partly waiting by chance for Kurapika's arrival, and partly waiting inevitably for Machi and the others to arrive.
…
At the same time, at a junkyard for discarded cars.
The members of the Phantom Troupe had gathered here, each standing on mountains of car graves.
The assembly order was for before September 1st. The reason they had gathered early now was because Machi wanted to leave the Troupe.