"Don't always make Dad take the initiative, you silly child."
Silva gently stroked Roy's back, pulling him into his embrace. His tall, imposing figure completely enveloped the boy.
With a slightly reproachful tone, he looked at Roy and said, "Adults need to save face. You always keep a straight face and never give me an opening. Even if Dad wants to be close to you, I can't find the opportunity."
As Silva spoke, his chest felt as broad as a mountain and warmly comforting... For a moment, Roy didn't know where to place his dangling hands.
The boy had never seen Silva like this, nor had he ever heard him speak such long sentences. In this instant, he seemed like an ordinary father in an ordinary family. Without the aura of an assassin, the coldness was gone, replaced by a contrast so stark it was impossible to adapt to.
"Mm." After a long while, the boy buried his head and squeezed out a single syllable.
He gradually realized... perhaps the person before him was his father's true self.
'Because he thinks this is a dream, a place that is absolutely safe, he reveals the "true heart" that is usually hidden from everyone?'
Roy's eyes flickered with a strange thought. 'Maybe he thinks this is his dream, so he can do whatever he wants. Even if he dreams of me... the real me wouldn't know.'
However... the one present here was Roy, relying on the Nen ability [Cognitive Door] to roam the dreamscape. He was a "real consciousness," not the "Roy" Silva imagined in his dream.
Falsehood becomes truth when truth is false; existence becomes nothing when nothing exists...
In summary, right now, the "fake Roy" Silva perceived was actually the "real Roy"!
[To bridge the distance with your child, try these 6 things...]
[First, arrange exclusive parent-child time and accompany them wholeheartedly.]
[Second, use body language cleverly to convey love.]
[Third, give precise encouragement to enhance self-confidence... Fourth, respect personality differences... Fifth... Sixth, listen to emotional expression and give understanding and support...]
In Silva's exclusive "unconscious domain," the man noticed the boy was still a bit "awkward." Recalling the small tips he had just read in that book, he held onto Roy without letting go, "applying what he learned" and treating him directly as a "guinea pig."
In this bizarre, strange atmosphere where he was forced to play along, Roy spent a rare, short period of "parent-child time." His mind shifted, sensing the dreamscape becoming unstable and showing faint signs of cracking. He slowly realized...
Due to the influence of his own "Nen quantity," roaming to this point signaled the end. His figure gradually faded, slowly turning into mist, and withdrew from Silva's unconscious domain.
When he opened his eyes again...
Accompanied by the "dong" of the grandfather clock in the corner.
The boy woke up from the dream at four in the morning, in his exclusive bedroom within the Zoldyck family castle.
"Tick-tock... tick-tock..." Time ticked by, second by second.
Roy lay quietly on the soft large bed, his hands folded over his abdomen, staring at the ceiling for a while. Rarely, he lingered in bed.
Then, after shaking off the "sense of nothingness" brought by the hazy dream, he rolled out of bed and, just like every other day, ran down the mountain.
On the way... he met Gotoh. As always, the butler had his back to a deep pool, fiddling with the "Infinite Handguns" in his hands, practicing "Water Breathing" in his own way... The image of Gotoh from last night's dream automatically surfaced in the boy's mind. With a faint smile on his lips, Roy moved his feet, drifting lightly along the mountain path to the intersection, where he saw Kastro, whose white hair swayed in the wind.
"Good morning, Young Master." The boy bowed. His complexion was ruddy, and compared to his pig-headed appearance from being beaten by Gotoh a few days ago, he was clearly much more "high-spirited." Evidently... dreaming last night and ruthlessly beating up Gotoh had quite the effect.
"Mm, keep it up." Roy walked past him with wind at his feet, saying without looking back, "I'll give you a mission in a few days."
Kastro was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly responded, "Yes."
Straightening his back, he watched Roy leave, clenching his fist.
'Surpassing Gotoh starts with doing things for the Young Master...'
He suddenly shouted loudly, "Young Master, I will absolutely not disappoint you!"
"Whoosh..." A mountain breeze blew past, rolling up a few leaves that drifted slowly to the ground.
Roy waved his hand with his back to the boy. In another glance, he vanished from Kastro's field of vision. Before long, he arrived at the mountain gate and saw the "bald uncle" Zebro guiding a young girl with blonde hair swaying in the wind. He was adjusting her stance and force exertion. Her goal... pointed directly at the first Testing Gate.
"You... your posture is correct, you just lack strength for now. Eat more when you go back. It probably won't take long before you succeed..."
Zebro spoke with a smile, his voice swirling into Roy's ears.
He suddenly thought of Kurapika. Hearing from Gotoh that this was Kurajing's younger brother, he understood the reason why the girl was working so hard.
To change the status quo of the Kurta Clan, obviously—
She was very clear that the Kurta Clan, possessing one of the "Seven Most Beautiful Colors in the World," was like a child holding gold in a busy market. Because the "Scarlet Eyes" were coveted, something would happen sooner or later.
Calculating the time, strictly speaking, it would only be a few years before the Kurta Clan was annihilated...
"Tap... tap..." Footsteps approached. Zebro glanced over and pulled Kurajing. The two took off their hats, bowed, and buried their heads in salute, "Young Master."
Roy didn't stop. He circled in front of the mountain gate, glanced at the two calmly, turned his ankle, and returned along the mountain path to the old castle. Passing the dim little room, he finally stopped. Listening to the faint snoring inside, he recalled the two dream passages left unexplored last night. One was his mother, Kikyo. The remaining one was most likely his great-grandfather, Maha.
Grandfather Zeno was out on a mission and hadn't returned all night, so it couldn't be him... Roy straightened up and looked through a corner of the window. Seeing the old man sleeping soundly under a blanket, he took a slight breath and left quietly.
Upon returning to his bedroom, he took off his coat and immediately went into the bathroom.
It was time to add points.
Last night, after killing Akaza, Mameng, and Rui—two Lower Moons—his "Life Energy," which had been empty, reached 190 again. Added to the one point of "Constitution" contributed daily by "Sun Breathing"...
Roy held onto the wall, took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, and willed the panel to pop up with a prompt...
[Life Energy cleared... Congratulations Host, Constitution +191...]
[Current Constitution: 438.4 -> 629.4 (Note: Ordinary human is 1)]
[Manifested Aura Quantity: C- (3950/100000 -> 17854/100000) (Note: Rating uses Chimera Ants as reference. Elite Squadron Leader is D, Squadron Leader is C, Royal Guard is B, Meruem is B+)]
[Potential Aura Quantity: C (48651/100000 -> 68741/100000)]
The person let out a muffled groan, digging ten fingers into the wall. After a long while, he came back to his senses in a trance, feeling the power surging out continuously from the inside out!
"Crack... crack... crack..." The new body made continuous sounds as Roy simply moved his joints... He looked up at himself in the mirror. His height and body shape hadn't changed significantly due to this point addition, but that power... had substantially increased!
This was evident when he tried to turn on the shower to simply rinse off the dirt on his body, but inadvertently tore off the handle with a single movement...
"Clang." The handle fell to the floor. Someone outside shouted, "Young Master, what happened?"
The young butler pushed the dining cart in. Just like every other day, he arrived on time and asked upon hearing the noise.
A metal handle flew toward him. He caught it steadily in his palm with a wave of his hand.
"The handle broke. Have someone replace it later." Roy walked out wrapped in a bath towel, grabbed a steaming beef burger, and took a fierce bite. Juices instantly exploded in his mouth.
"Yes." Gotoh nodded, casually stuffed the handle into his pocket, and served Roy his meal. "I already instructed the kitchen yesterday to purchase the dishes Young Master ordered. They will be ready before the afternoon."
The old man had been clamoring for stir-fry. Roy used this opportunity to adjust his own appetite. He reached out, opened a drawer, took out the guide his father Silva had given him, and spread it out to read carefully. While eating, he instructed Gotoh, "Go back and tell Kastro to pack his things. He sets off for Meteor City in a few days."
"What is he going there for?"
"Charity."
"Is he up to it?"
"Do you think he's up to it?" Roy looked up.
Gotoh frowned, weighing his words. "He has learned the four major principles [Ten] and [Zetsu], but [Ren] and [Hatsu] haven't been mastered yet. If Young Master plans to send him alone to that kind of place..."
Gotoh pushed the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and said truthfully, "Dealing with some small fry is no problem, but if he encounters a veteran 'Nen user,' he'll likely be in trouble."
"Are you protecting him?" Roy smiled.
Gotoh: "No, I'm just telling the truth."
The young butler said solemnly, "He can die, but he cannot ruin Young Master's mission!"
"Mm..." Roy drank a mouthful of milk to wash down the burger, pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and said noncommittally, "Since you said so, then add another person."
"Who?"
"Me."
Roy looked at Gotoh with a smile. "Book two flight tickets to Meteor City. In a week, I want to stand on that land!"
Two tickets?
Gotoh's face turned pale. He looked at Roy carefully and asked tentatively, "Does Young Master not plan to take me?"
That thing Kastro had only been here a few days; is he worthy of traveling alone with the Young Master?!
'If I had known... I should have just killed him at the Heaven's Arena!'
Thoughts exploded... his mind was in turmoil... Just then, a warm hand patted Gotoh on the back, saying gently, "Don't overthink it."
The butler came back to his senses and saw the boy blink at him. "I'm not going. The other 'me' is going."
Gotoh: "..."
He stood there, his brain even more confused.
Seeing this, Roy didn't say much more. It concerned the "clone," and Gotoh would naturally know when the time came.
He simply left him alone to clean up the messy dining table and went out toward the training room.
In the morning, the red sun leaped out of the horizon, casting thousands of rays of morning glow. In the early spring, when the warmth was just returning to the chill, it shone on people's faces, warm and very comfortable.
Roy walked slowly through the mottled corridors of the old castle with his hands in his pockets. Looking through the window... Silva was supporting Kikyo as they finished breakfast and strolled leisurely in the garden. The boy stopped, remembering the loving man from last night's dream. As his gaze wandered, Silva keenly intercepted it.
He looked back indifferently. "Something the matter?"
"Nothing."
So much for "saving face," "taking initiative," and "giving an opening"... 'Do I not need to save face?'
Roy turned and walked away, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the corridor, not taking a single shred of the morning glow with him.
Silva frowned. Kikyo held his arm, leaning most of her body weight on him, and asked, "What's wrong?"
The man shook his head gently without saying a word. He quietly watched the boy leave, then turned to support Kikyo and continued walking in the garden.
As the saying goes, what one thinks about during the day, one dreams about at night. Fantasies detached from reality are nothing less than "daydreaming"!
"Tap... tap..." The footsteps drifted further away... Combining "sun" and "dream," Roy naturally thought of this phrase. For a moment, he found it amusing and gained a deeper understanding of the "dimension" of "Nen"...
Thinking, he arrived at the training room.
"Squeak." The door opened.
Two pink pigtails swayed in the wind...
Tsubone, whose burly figure did not resemble a woman's, barged into Roy's view holding an electric baton. She said in a muffled voice, "The Master has ordered that from now on, I will conduct the electric shock special training for the Young Master."
Roy nodded; he had no objections.
He cleanly took off his outer clothes, revealing a body of tight, refined muscles. "Tap... tap..."
Another set of footsteps followed Roy in.
Tsubone stepped past Roy, nodded slightly to Illumi, took a step forward, and thrust the electric baton. "Pardon me, Young Master."
"Zzzzt!" Electric light suddenly flashed!
The voltage instantly exceeded the limit Luke could reach, hitting 8 million volts!
Last time, with a Constitution of 343 points, Roy lasted thirty seconds under Silva's hand. This time... the boy straightened his back, clenched his teeth, and allowed the electric current to turn into electric snakes roaming wildly over his body. Without uttering a sound, he watched as time headed toward one minute...
"25... 30... 35... 40... 55!" He was counting silently, and Tsubone was counting silently too...
After the time approached one minute, the old butler's old eyes showed fluctuation, and she suddenly became a bit bewildered...
Yesterday, on the very morning Roy was stunned by Silva, she received the mission assigned by Silva. She clearly remembered the Master saying at the time that the Young Master's record was only thirty seconds.
But now... 60... 65... 70... a minute and a half!
Roy was still holding on!
Tsubone's hand trembled. She didn't know if Silva had lied or if Roy had deliberately pretended yesterday... Otherwise, it was impossible to explain how a person could undergo such a huge change in just one day.
"Bang!" One minute and thirty-seven seconds!
The electric light exploded!
Roy opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of black smoke... Stumbling back a few steps, he finally couldn't hold on and sat down on the ground.
Illumi leaned against the wall, watching quietly. He opened his hands wanting to help, but unexpectedly, Tsubone thrust the electric baton at him right after Roy, unreasonably. He rolled his eyes back and fell straight down at a speed even faster than Roy.
"Apologies, Young Master..."
The old butler put away the electric baton, scooped up Illumi, and carried him on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at Roy again. "Young Master, do you need my help?"
"No need."
"Xiao Jin."
"Caw~"
The Golden Crow spread its wings, drilled out from the top of Roy's head, and expanded in the wind. With a push of its long beak, it lifted the boy up, twisted its fat bottom, struggled over the window, and placed Roy on the grass in the garden ahead of Tsubone.
Tsubone watched silently, then kicked up a shovel, followed behind, dug a hole, and buried Illumi.
By the time the two brothers recovered, it was already noon.
"Whoosh..." A gust of wind blew, bringing the fragrance of soil.
Illumi, with only his head exposed, leisurely opened his eyes. Turning his head to look at Roy, who was peacefully sunbathing nearby, he said, "You've become stronger again."
"Mm."
"I am very happy."
"Mm."
"Even though Mom gave birth to silver hair, I will firmly stand on your side, rest assured..."
"Illumi," Roy suddenly interrupted him, "Are you male or female?"
Illumi was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Roy opened his eyes, turned his head to look at him, and said, "I'm asking you, male or female? Is this hard to answer?"
"Not hard," Illumi stared at Roy with those hollow, godless eyes and said directly, "I am male."
Roy let out a sigh of relief. He was just about to say... 'As long as you know. Don't have blind dreams for no reason.'
Unexpectedly...
The foolish little brother changed his tone and said very seriously, "Of course, if Big Brother needs, I can also become female for Big Brother."
Roy: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched violently, and he pointed to the willow tree beside them. "Hang yourself up there!"