Hey

"Looks like we won't be able to set off again until tomorrow morning."

After following the crowd ashore, Kang Jae glanced at the dusk sky and sighed. "This is what they mean by unpredictable weather."

Was that how you used that idiom? Jing Yang was genuinely stunned. Turning to look at Tiger, one of the Zodiacs, he said, "I thought you'd already left."

Kang Jae said, "My assignment isn't over. Why would I leave?"

Menchi chimed in, "We barely saw you on the ship."

With his hands clasped behind his head, Kang Jae said evenly, "As a bodyguard, wouldn't there be a problem if I wandered all over the place far away from my employer?"

"That makes sense." Shizuku nodded. "You may not be very educated, but you're quite experienced."

Menchi was truly stunned. Shizuku looked so refined and pretty—who would have thought she had such a sharp tongue? But her usual expression made it seem like she was not deliberately mocking Kang Jae.

"I'm a Professional Hunter, you know?" Kang Jae laughed.

Could he only hear the latter half, the part that praised him? Not just Jing Yang and the others—even Dago's group was inwardly sweating.

Slooe, the balding young man from Ochima, smoothed things over. "Let's find a hotel and settle in first. We'll rest for the night and leave tomorrow."

Thinking of something, he smiled. "Tomorrow is the sixteenth. Mr. Kang Jae's short-term bodyguard contract lasts until the end of January. It's rare to hire someone as capable as one of the Hunter Association Zodiacs, so it should be fine if we make a few stops along the way to deal with some minor troubles, right?"

Kang Jae said, "In any case, I'm the bodyguard. I'll complete the assignment."

Dago and the others had nothing better to do anyway, and they were hoping to follow Slooe back and try to secure some additional compensation, so they agreed.

Jing Yang, meanwhile, looked toward Menchi.

While on the ship, the three of them had studied the world map for a long time. Jing Yang had found quite a few places he wanted to visit, such as the Hunter Association headquarters, Ameri Wetland, Heaven's Arena, and other "famous sights." It would not hurt to check in at the entrance to the Zoldyck Family estate either. Their home was a tourist destination to begin with. Or they could scout out that unlucky place, NGL, first...

Shizuku did not have anywhere in particular she wanted to go. Wherever her boss went, she would follow.

Menchi, however, had plans of her own.

"I'm not leaving Ochima," Menchi had said from her bunk in the ship's cabin. Her finger traced a path from Ochima's location in the lower-right corner of the map. "Since I'm already here, I plan to travel around the Nu'amili Continent first, sample the local cuisine, and hunt ingredients I've never seen before."

"After all, I'm a Gourmet Hunter."

Menchi smiled and tried to pat Jing Yang on the head, but he flicked her away with his middle finger. "Little girl, are you asking for a beating?"

"Hahaha!" Menchi burst into laughter.

The group found a hotel and checked in, naturally with the expenses still covered by Slooe's funds.

After resting briefly, they headed out one after another and gathered at the hotel restaurant to fill their stomachs.

Jing Yang was somewhat curious about Kang Jae. As they sat together cutting into their steaks, he asked, "Mr. Kang Jae, you don't look very old. When did you become one of the Zodiacs?"

Kang Jae speared a large piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed. "A few years ago, I guess. I don't remember either."

"I heard all the Zodiacs are personally selected by Chairman Netero," Jing Yang said.

Kang Jae kept chewing as he stared at Jing Yang. After staring for a while, he said, "You want to join too? The positions are already full. This is what they call overcrowding, right?"

"Unless the Chairman is willing to replace one of the Zodiacs." Kang Jae wiped meat sauce from the corner of his mouth and grinned at Jing Yang. "Back then, the Chairman thought I was pretty good at fighting, so he invited me to join. If you can beat me, I can recommend you as my replacement. Want to give it a try?"

"Mr. Kang Jae, I'm not treasure," Jing Yang said. "You're putting a lot of pressure on me by staring at me with that kind of intensity."

"Hmph hmph!" Kang Jae grabbed another steak and bit into it. "That's what they call magnanimity."

You really are a genius with words...

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Jing Yang brought a bottle of juice, pushed open the hotel window, and Rock Sparrow and the two crows flew in on the night breeze.

The moonlight over the city was somewhat dim. Jing Yang dipped a finger into the juice and drew a crescent-shaped pattern on the windowsill.

A cluster of Aura gathered at his fingertip and emerged, covering the juice-drawn crescent. In an instant, it left behind a dark gray Bright Moon Mark.

"The Moon Mark is only for communication. The target carrying the mark doesn't matter—the mark itself is the anchor. As expected, it can also be applied to objects..."

Jing Yang pondered this, then turned his head and saw Shizuku stepping onto the neighboring balcony to get some air.

Jing Yang smiled and waved. Shizuku tilted her head, then raised a hand and waved back.

The next day, January 16th, 7:00 a.m.

At the bustling train station, Menchi wore a simple backpack, with a kitchen knife hanging from the back of the waistband of her denim shorts. With a Hunter License, she could openly bring something like that aboard a train. What were the privileges of a Professional Hunter? This was privilege.

Jing Yang and Shizuku had come to see her off. Their train to Cosmo, another major city in Ochima, would not arrive until 9:15. Cosmo was much more prosperous and fashionable than Geleburg, this port city. Slooe had said that tickets for airships crossing the ocean to other continents could be bought there, and Jing Yang and Shizuku could take an international flight directly to wherever they wanted to go.

With a Hunter License, they would not need to apply for any visas either...

"Huh?" Jing Yang suddenly looked at Shizuku and asked softly, "You don't have a Hunter License. Did you get a visa to stay in Ochima?"

That did not seem very likely. After all, residents of Meteor City did not even have identity records on the international servers.

"Back home, there are people who can make all kinds of documents," Shizuku said.

"That doesn't sound very good," Jing Yang criticized. "I should get myself a stack someday too."

"What are you two whispering about?" Menchi said unhappily. "Did you come to see me off or not?"

"You haven't left yet?" Jing Yang feigned surprise.

Menchi bared her teeth at him, but in the end, she could not help laughing. "Forget it. We'll definitely meet again anyway! The next time we meet, I'll definitely make your jaws drop! I've come up with a really interesting new ability. It's amazing! It suits me perfectly!"

Jing Yang snorted. "How amazing can it be? I'll take you down with two punches! Next time we meet, don't claim you know me unless you've got ten or twenty thousand Nen quantity!"

"You two are the ones who should worry!" Menchi pulled down her eyelids and made a face. "Without my cooking to help you recover, don't let your training progress get surpassed by mine! Hehehe..."

Jing Yang held out his fist.

Menchi smiled and bumped her fist against his. "I'm a Hunter too. Don't always underestimate me!"

After waiting for a while, the two of them looked at Shizuku, who was adorably watching from the side.

"Ah." Shizuku came to her senses and held out her fist as well. The three fists came together.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind swept in as the train behind Menchi slowly pulled into the station. The crowd surged around them. Jing Yang said, "You should get on."

Menchi waved as she backed away, then turned and left.

Jing Yang and Shizuku were also getting ready to find Kang Jae, Slooe, and the others. Their own train would depart in two hours. Just then, Menchi suddenly shouted from behind them, "Hey!"

The two turned around. From afar, Menchi pointed at Jing Yang and shouted, "What type are you, anyway?"

Jing Yang had not yet decided how to answer when Menchi herself fell silent, then laughed. She waved, turned, and disappeared into the crowd as she boarded the train.