But Meteor City was very special. It was not a city slum.
Although the area outside Meteor City was basically piled full of garbage, the streets within Meteor City were clean and simple.
The buildings were mainly yellow and white, and the materials used were not bad either. If one disregarded the garbage dump outside Meteor City, this would have been an ordinary town.
The residents of Meteor City were all abandoned people, unregistered citizens of the world whose origins could not be traced. The people here mainly made their living from things that could be recycled from the garbage dump.
Though they lived off garbage, the people of Meteor City were actually positive and cheerful.
Of course, the rules they lived by had nothing to do with the moral codes of the outside world.
The strong preyed on the weak; the fittest survived—this was the predator's law jointly observed by the people of Meteor City. Simple and fair, it had given rise to the plain natures and simple emotions of those born in Meteor City. Morin had never expected that, when he had merely wanted to develop slowly and prioritize safety in the world of Hunter x Hunter—
He would land in such a dangerous place right from the start.
This was nothing less than hell difficulty.
"If this is Meteor City, then you..."
Morin stared at the girl before him, who looked increasingly familiar and had stripped off his clothes.
What she had meant earlier was probably that she had taken his clothes somewhere and changed into the white judo training uniform she was now wearing.
"What's your name?"
Morin asked.
"Machi."
The pinkish-purple-haired girl replied calmly.
"What about you?"
"Morin."
Morin answered somewhat oddly.
So it really was her!!
He had not expected to connect with a character from the world of Hunter x Hunter so quickly.
Meteor City, a pinkish-purple-haired girl, and that sort of training uniform—only the Machi in Morin's mind matched all of that.
The current Machi looked like a very cute little girl, enough to stir the "overflowing affection" of lolicon enthusiasts everywhere.
But Morin was not a lolicon, and he knew very clearly that this little girl, who looked extremely cute, was not someone to provoke.
She was one of the future members of the Phantom Troupe, a notorious band of thieves that committed vicious crimes all over the world. She was nowhere near as harmless as she looked now!
"Why... did you save me?"
Morin asked curiously.
"Two reasons."
Machi's expression did not change. "First, the clothes. Second, intuition."
Yeah, that was quite concise.
Morin understood as well.
"Intuition?"
There was no need to explain the clothes, but intuition?
Machi had an incredibly strong and accurate sixth sense.
Whenever her feminine intuition arose, it was never wrong.
It could practically be used as an auxiliary ability.
"Is there anything else?"
Machi asked as she watched Morin continue thinking.
"If not, I'm going to sleep first."
Sleep?
Morin froze for a moment before realizing it was already late at night.
"I woke up at quite the perfect time, didn't I?"
Watching Machi ignore him entirely as she lay down in the hammock, Morin shook his head as well.
"I should rest some more. Otherwise, my head is going to explode."
The transmigration, the Nen ability, the memories... this whole series of events, along with the pain still lingering in his mind, had left Morin exhausted in both body and mind despite awakening his Nen ability.
Morin fell back down and continued lying on the broken wooden bed.
"Judging by how Machi looks now, she should only be around eleven or twelve. I remember that when the Phantom Troupe first appeared in You Kiss City, gathered in full, she was twenty-four."
"In other words, this should be twelve or thirteen years before the official start of the story?"
"I wonder whether the Phantom Troupe has been formed yet. Seeing Machi alone like this, it probably still... hasn't... right?"
Morin's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before long, he drifted into sleep.
As for the dangerous future female criminal in the hammock beside him, Morin did not think much about her.
He merely felt that although this girl would become a member of the Phantom Troupe in the future, she was still only a child now.
What was most important in Meteor City?
He could not deny her present because of her future.
Of course, the most important reason was that Morin felt Machi bore him no ill will.
Otherwise, she could have simply taken his clothes and left him alone in the garbage heap to fend for himself.
She had even found him a rough hemp shirt. It was obvious that she did not have much of an ulterior motive.
That was also why Morin could sleep at ease.
However?
He slept peacefully, but on the hammock beside him—
Machi turned over and quietly looked at Morin, whose breathing had become even. Her gaze was calm, and no one knew what she was thinking.
The next day.
"Mm?"
Morin was awakened by a strange smell.
"What is that smell?!"
Morin opened his eyes and sat up in bed, only to see Machi holding a wooden bowl with chipped edges.
Using a spoon that had broken halfway off, she scooped up the black paste inside the bowl.
"You're awake?"
She replied without even lifting her head.
"What are you eating..."
Morin pointed at the bowl in her hands.
"This is half of my rations for today."
As Machi spoke, she put the dark, mushy substance—blacker than black sesame paste—into her mouth.
"You eat this every day?"
Morin quickly glanced over Machi's undeveloped upper body, which was not even up to the level of little pigeon breasts yet.
The thing did not look good, nor did it smell good. It definitely could not have much nutrition.
"There's no share for you."
Machi said to Morin while chewing.
"Earlier, I saved you from the garbage heap and took the clothes off you. We're even now."
"Now that you're staying in my house, if you want food, you need to pay a certain price in exchange for it."
It smells almost as bad as stinky tofu. I don't want to eat that stuff either...
Morin complained inwardly, but his mouth was honest as he asked:
"What price?"
There was no helping it. After awakening his Nen ability and getting a night's sleep, Morin felt better than ever, both physically and mentally.
Correspondingly, his stomach had never been this hungry before.
The fact that it had not rumbled loudly in front of Machi was already doing Morin a favor.
"Come with me to the landfill later. The garbage dump."
Machi fed herself another spoonful. "I'll get you a free protective suit later. It'll be the lowest grade, but it should be enough to protect against radiation and waste gas."
That should come in handy...
Morin complained inwardly again.
"Looks like I'm destined to go hungry this morning."
He sighed, then suddenly remembered that he had not drawn today's gadget yet.
"Draw!"
His consciousness sank into the Four-Dimensional Pocket once more.
Then, in the next second, his body stiffened slightly.
Immediately afterward, he lifted his head and looked at Machi with a bright smile.
"Hmm?"
Machi, who was drinking the black paste, raised an eyebrow.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that Morin's smile now carried immense confidence and ample assurance, as well as something unusually—
"Machi."
Morin straightened his chest and asked with a smile, "What is the most important thing in Meteor City?"
"Supplies for survival."
Machi looked at him and answered.
"Food, weapons, and medicine."
Annoying?
Food was essential for survival. Weapons were indispensable for defeating others in conflicts and surviving, while medicine was for treating injuries after battle or while exploring the garbage mountains. Without these three things, it could be said that one could hardly move a step in Meteor City.
"What is the most important one?"
The smile on Morin's face deepened as he continued asking.
"Food."
Machi gave her answer without even thinking.
If one avoided conflict as much as possible, weapons were unnecessary. If one was careful when exploring the garbage mountains, medicine was not always needed either.
But food was the one thing that could absolutely not be lacking in Meteor City.
At the same time, it was also the hardest to obtain.
Weapons and some medical equipment could still be found in abandoned landfill areas, but food alone was difficult to find.
Or rather, even if it was found, with that much radiation, it could not be eaten at all.
"Exactly!"
Before you continue