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Chapter 52: Kakin and Training
"Kakin's waters run deep. If we want to make a move there, we need to be fully prepared," Kurapika warned.
He had gathered a lot of intel online.
The Kakin Empire was vast but relatively closed off.
Computer literacy was low, the internet was censored, and smartphones weren't ubiquitous. Despite the reforms starting thirty years ago with the Shinrinkan Incident (Silent Revolution), it was still somewhat backward.
Recently, Kakin's economy had exploded, but the wealth gap widened just as fast.
Social classes were solidifying. Without a new catalyst, Kakin's boom might stall soon.
But history showed that such catalysts appeared repeatedly in Kakin.
Whenever the nation stagnated or faced turmoil, a major event would occur, revitalizing the ancient empire.
"This catalyst is the succession of the King," Kurapika analyzed, organizing his notes. "The most recent one was the Silent Revolution thirty years ago.
"Details are scrubbed from the net, but the result was the ascension of the current King, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou.
"The country shifted from Imperial Socialism to Parliamentary Democracy.
"There's speculation online that Kakin is the mostly likely candidate to join the V5, making it the V6."
Kurapika's talent was evident in compiling such a detailed report in just a few days.
Ronin, who had read the manga, agreed with Kurapika's guess.
The Succession Contest was likely a special ritual for Kakin's development, ensuring its eternal prosperity.
A ritual requiring a lot of human sacrifices.
"Put Kakin aside for now. Since we can't touch them yet, let's collect the eyes outside of Kakin first," Ronin parked the car on a mountain road.
Tserriednich had about 11 pairs. Ronin had absorbed 4. Excluding himself and Kurapika, 35 pairs remained. That meant there were still 20 pairs out there for Ronin to find without touching the Prince.
"I'll leave the Mafia matters to you once you master Nen. I really have no patience for it," Ronin got out, calling to the sleepy Neon in the back.
"Training again? Do we have to?" Neon complained.
It was June. Yesterday, she gave Ronin and Kurapika another reading.
This time, it was four complete verses. But Ronin called them "boring and ordinary," claiming they didn't fit her status as a "Cursed One."
Neon wanted to scream that she was a Prophet, not a Cursed One!
And this jerk Ronin, who was just saved by her prophecy, was burning bridges!
"Cut the crap," Ronin ignored her.
He took shovels out of the trunk, tossed them to the pair, and grabbed a wheelbarrow.
The car was also loaded with ropes and other gear.
"Are we going to bury a body?" Neon's eyes lit up at the sight of the tools.
"No," Ronin flicked her forehead. While she glared at him clutching her head, he locked the car and led them up the mountain. "We are going to dig a mountain. Correction: you are going to dig a mountain."
This was the training method Biscuit Krueger used for Killua and Gon.
Ronin thought it was sound. He planned to open their Nen nodes at the right time and have them follow this regimen.
As for himself, he had a better way.
But his method wasn't suitable for them yet.
Kurapika had no objections. He would do whatever Ronin said to get stronger.
Neon pouted.
"Your ability is useful, so I'm not letting you go. But I can't protect you 24/7. You need to defend yourself. Or, if you aren't afraid of dying, you can just watch," Ronin said bluntly.
He kidnapped Neon, but he wasn't her nanny.
He didn't know Neon's fate in the manga after losing her powers, but without them, her pampered personality would likely lead to a bad end.
If Ronin hadn't taken her from Mordin, her fate would have been grim.
Light Nostrade using her ability for deals would expose her. Chrollo would come.
Even if Chrollo didn't come, others would.
Could Light protect her?
If he failed, a defenseless princess like Neon wouldn't last long.
Of course, this was speculation.
If Neon was truly hopeless and just wanted to leech off him, Ronin didn't mind keeping a "canary in a cage."
Being a rich girl and his private fortune teller was fine.
But right now...
Although Neon looked unhappy, her steps were light as she followed Kurapika.
Having lost her mother early and being ignored by her father, she hadn't yet developed the full-blown bratty personality seen later.
And based on the manga, aside from being willful and obsessed with body parts, she wasn't a bad person.
Before digging, Ronin handed them weighted gear from the wheelbarrow.
These were custom-made, imitating the Zoldyck family's training gear.
First, build physique with weights. Then, open Nen and proceed to the next step.
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