"So, that kind of miraculous power is called Nen?"
Feitan sat in the corner, making his small frame seem even shorter.
His fingers kept twitching, revealing the slight unrest in his heart.
"Once we find a suitable city, Morin and I will help you open your Aura Nodes."
Chrollo smiled. "The sooner you learn Nen, the better you'll be able to improve your strength."
Pakunoda nodded, and Feitan's fingers gradually calmed down.
However, both of them became even more expectant.
"Oh, speaking of that..."
Chrollo turned to Morin, Machi, and Nobunaga.
"I still don't know your Nen affinities and categories. I'm a Specialist."
He introduced himself first.
"Categories?"
Nobunaga leaned against the side of the vehicle and yawned. "Uvogin and I are Enhancers, Machi is a Transmuter, and as for Morin... well."
He hesitated. "By his own description, he should be a Conjurer and a Specialist."
"Two categories?"
Chrollo raised his left hand, pressing his thumb against his chin while his right hand supported his left elbow. He looked at Morin in confusion.
This was his usual posture whenever he was deep in thought.
"During Water Divination, two phenomena appeared: Conjuration and Specialization."
Morin answered succinctly.
"I see."
Chrollo nodded in understanding.
Then, he revealed a very interested smile.
"Then your Nen ability must be rather special, right?"
A faint gleam appeared in his eyes. "You've already developed a Nen ability, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I have."
Morin smiled and nodded, then flipped his hand and took out the Gourmet Tablecloth once more.
The instant Machi and Nobunaga saw it, they straightened up, their anticipation undisguised.
"This is..."
Chrollo looked at the tablecloth. "A Conjuration ability?"
"Something like that."
Morin smiled. "Come on, it's so late. Let me treat everyone to a late-night snack."
He snapped his fingers and ordered a meal. Several bowls of steaming food immediately appeared on the tablecloth!
At the bottom of the bowls were glossy noodles, topped with cucumber, shredded radish, peanuts, and a pile of dark-looking yet fragrant meat sauce.
"Zhajiang noodles, one of the most famous noodle dishes from my hometown."
Morin smiled as he spoke. Under Pakunoda and Feitan's slightly dazed gazes, he picked up a bowl.
After skillfully mixing it all together, the white noodles turned a rich brown from the meat sauce.
"Slurp."
Morin shoveled noodles into his mouth in huge mouthfuls.
After watching Morin personally demonstrate how to eat it, the already impatient Nobunaga and Machi immediately picked up bowls as well.
They quickly mixed the noodles just like Morin had and stuffed them into their mouths.
"Damn, it smells amazing!"
The moment the noodles entered their mouths, both of their eyes lit up.
They could not help speeding up their slurping.
The entire vehicle was soon filled with an enticing aroma.
"An ability that can conjure food?"
Seeing how deliciously the others were eating, Chrollo no longer had any doubts. He picked up a bowl and examined it carefully. It had color, fragrance, and flavor in equal measure. Even though his tongue had not tasted many fine things, Chrollo could still tell.
The culinary quality of this bowl of noodles would have been considered excellent even in the outside world.
"We're strongest when we become stronger"
"No. Someone whose category displays both Conjuration and Specialization phenomena couldn't possibly develop such a simple ability."
Chrollo shook his head inwardly.
Of course, if the owner of the Nen ability had an extreme obsession with food, it would be possible.
But from Chrollo's interactions with Morin, the other man did not seem to have that sort of personality.
"If it were a Manipulation ability, then it might have a rule like, 'Make others eat food you create, and if they find it delicious after eating it, the condition is fulfilled.'"
"But Morin clearly isn't like that, so..."
His attention settled on the tablecloth Morin had taken out.
"Is it because of this tablecloth?"
"That's right."
Morin swallowed a mouthful of noodles. "This tablecloth is called the Gourmet Tablecloth. It can produce all kinds of delicious food."
"My ability allows me to conjure all kinds of gadgets, and each gadget has a different function. The Gourmet Tablecloth is only one of my gadgets."
"I see."
Chrollo nodded lightly.
If it was that kind of ability, then it truly suited Morin's categories.
He looked at the Gourmet Tablecloth and thought so.
A Gourmet Tablecloth alone could freely create food.
And judging from Morin's indifferent expression, even if he had set any conditions or restrictions, they were probably not very harsh.
No wonder he was a man who had earned Uvogin and Machi's wholehearted approval.
For the first time, a faint fighting spirit rose within Chrollo's heart.
"I can't fall behind either."
A spark flickered in his eyes. "I need to put developing my ability on the agenda as well."
But for now, the most urgent matter was filling his stomach.
Chrollo picked up his chopsticks and took a bite himself.
"It really is delicious."
Feitan and Pakunoda had gone an entire day without eating as well.
Seeing Nobunaga slurp his noodles so deliciously, they quickly picked up bowls too.
They were all members of the same team now, so neither of them held back.
"Slurp."
The moment the noodles entered their mouths, both of them froze.
Then they immediately sped up their eating.
Their manner of eating was no different from Machi's first time eating the food Morin had conjured for her.
Those born in Meteor City had eaten black rice more than anything else, and their tongues had tasted fewer flavors than even some children from outside.
Traditional cuisine from a land with five thousand years of cultural heritage could easily make them feel a baptism that reached their souls directly through their taste buds.
At the very least, Pakunoda and Feitan did not care in the slightest that their mouths were covered in meat sauce.
One had lost all of her feminine elegance, while the other had lost all of his killer's composure.
Before a bowl of zhajiang noodles, they were both the most loyal diners.
"Hey! Morin, that's too much! You can't eat in the back while we have to smell it up front!"
Uvogin smelled the aroma from his seat and could not help shouting in protest.
Franklin, who was driving, said nothing, but the smacking of his lips and the movement in his throat made it obvious that his mouth was rapidly producing saliva as well.
Morin handed each of them a bowl.
Franklin drove while Uvogin took a bite, then fed Franklin a bite.
The scene was strangely harmonious.
And so, the vehicle traveled across the boundless wilderness while the interior became filled with the aroma of meat sauce noodles.
Before long, the outline of a city appeared at the end of the horizon.
"We're here!"
Uvogin shouted at the top of his lungs, unable to suppress the excitement and joy in his voice.
The outside world... they were finally going to come into contact with it.
As the vehicle slowly entered the city, the old, dilapidated sign at the entrance still stood firm against the dusty wind.
Welcome to Kavale City.
It looked like a very ordinary city.
Franklin drove the vehicle into the city without being questioned at all.
From the surrounding buildings, Morin could easily tell that although it was called a city, it was merely a small town.
After all, cities near Meteor City would not be particularly wealthy or developed.
After the vehicle slowly pulled into a dark alley, the group got out.
"Let's find a place to stay first."
Chrollo suggested, "Then we can find a qualified Nen user and learn more about this world, as well as more knowledge about Nen."
"Our most important step is becoming stronger."
He looked at Franklin, Feitan, and Pakunoda. "We also need to open your Aura Nodes first."
"If it's a place to stay, then there's no need to make things so troublesome."
Machi looked at Morin, who happened to take out the Door of Nothingness.
"There's no more suitable place to stay than this."
Smiling, he pressed the door sticker against a nearby wall while Machi explained the gadget's function to everyone.
"It really is quite a convenient gadget."
Everyone looked at the opened door and the apartment-style residence inside, silently thinking the same thing.
"Good. Since we're opening Feitan and the others' Aura Nodes, safety is the top priority for our temporary base."
Chrollo was quite satisfied with the environment.
"Then you all go train your Nen properly. I'm going to take a good look around this city!"
Before you continue