Silent Night X The Village's Strangeness

Night.

The Village was completely silent.

The problems associated with daytime hunting are numerous.

No one could sleep peacefully in the quiet night.

The prey that suddenly appeared, the attack that suddenly ventured into the Boundary.

These things felt like Rock pressing down on them, making it hard for them to breathe.

Inside the hotel.

Kevin and his friends were sitting in the hall, leisurely drinking tea.

Bianluoke was sitting next to him.

"Your performance during the day was truly outstanding. Are all the Hunter x Hunter outside this skilled?"

He couldn't help but ask.

Men Qi glanced at him and asked curiously, "You said you've been in charge of this hotel for quite a few years now, haven't you?"

"You must have received quite a few Hunter x Hunter, so why would you ask such a question?"

"Idiot, under normal circumstances, why would Hunter x Hunter use force in Village? This hunt was purely an accident."

Buhaci held the teacup between two fingers, adjusted his posture, and couldn't help but speak.

Bianluoke nodded. "That's right, actually you are the first Hunter x Hunter I've ever seen take action."

The main reason is that he's not very old.

Hunting is usually very easy.

After Men Qi said, "The average strength of a Hunter x Hunter among Hunter x Hunter is about the Gowen that of Gawain."

The average level of the Martial Faction is slightly Gowen's, but weaker than ours. My strength and Buhaci's should be considered above average among the Martial Faction.

After saying that, she pointed at Kevin, knowing that the other person actually wanted to ask about Kevin's strength.

Because the three of them performed normally in today's battle, just like a Hunter x Hunter should.

However, Kevin's fighting style was clearly exaggerated, and the visual effects were extremely impactful.

"As for this guy, he's definitely a top-tier fighter among Martial Faction; there aren't many Hunter x Hunter who can rival him."

Bianluoke nodded slightly, having roughly made a mental judgment that Kevin didn't care about these things.

He looked at Bianluoke and asked, "What impact do you think today's events will have?"

These words made Bianluoke's expression turn somewhat unpleasant. He pondered silently for a while before shaking his head.

His tone betrayed his deep concern.

"I don't know, but everyone will definitely be more careful during future hunts."

"Never mind, today's a big day!"

Men Qi didn't care about any of that. Instead, she happily said that the monsters she encountered today were all carrying top-quality ingredients.

Moreover, they are large, so there are definitely a lot of top-quality ingredients that can be peeled off.

Kevin was somewhat looking forward to seeing how many good materials he could get.

He wasn't afraid of being deceived by the villagers.

Well, after two weeks, he found that the villagers in this Village were relatively simple-minded.

It's not that they're stupid, but rather naive.

After all, there's been very little interaction with the outside world, and most of those who come here are Gourmet Hunter.

There wasn't much deception.

Therefore, he wasn't worried about being shortchanged at all.

Men Qi wandered, and her attention quickly shifted to something else. She moved closer to Kevin and nudged him with her elbow.

"Hey, how's that Saintess?"

Seeing the joyful smile on Men Qi's face, Kevin's veins throbbed.

"Can you please stop being so gossipy?"

"Wen isn't just me," Men Qi said, pointing to something.

Kevin looked to the side.

Buhaci and Gowen, seeing the look in his eyes as he turned away, silently turned their heads away.

Even Bianluoke silently picked up his teacup and took a sip.

It suddenly became quiet.

Eating melon seeds is a basic instinct of life.

"It's nothing, just saving someone. Are you expecting me to just stand by and watch? You were much more proactive than me during the day."

Men Qi chuckled, looking at him with an expression that said, "You can't fool me."

"I'm a girl too, you know. The way I looked at you, hmph—it was no different from how Nion looked at Kurapika."

"A hero saves the damsel in distress!"

"Stop talking."

Melusina was now sprawled on her bed, rolling around with the pillow over her face.

One of her maids sat beside her, flipping through a comic book in her hand.

This is Bianluoke's sister.

"That's a classic scene," she chuckled as she read.

"Lorraine, stop teasing the young lady," another maid said with a laugh.

Upon hearing this address, Melusina threw back her pillow, revealing her flushed cheeks.

"Don't call me 'Miss,' it's embarrassing."

Upon hearing this, Lorraine threw down her book, stood up, and twirled around twice, lifting her maid's skirt.

"We're maids, you know, maids have to call you 'Miss,' right?"

As he spoke, a bright smile spread across his face.

Another maid then smiled and said, "Then how about I call you Your Highness?"

"Ahhh, no, no!"

That was so embarrassing.

The two maids clearly didn't care about this topic, and instead moved closer to Melusina, quietly asking, "So? Does he like you?"

Faced with the inquiring gazes of the two maids, Melusina blushed slightly but shook her head. "I don't know."

"I don't know? Why? Didn't he grow wings?"

Lorraine asked, puzzled.

As maids, they were fully aware of Melusina's Nen ability.

Melusina became hesitant and stammering.

The other maid beside her narrowed her eyes slightly. "What question did you ask?"

"I—I asked him, I asked him if I was pretty."

Upon hearing this, Lorraine stood up, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"At a time like this, you should just ask directly and get the facts straight."

"It's so embarrassing. He doesn't even know me, and it was dangerous at the time. How could I ask such a question?"

Upon hearing this, the two maids fell silent, for that was indeed the case.

At that time, they couldn't have imagined such a thing; all they felt was worry and panic.

Looking back now, I'm actually a little scared.

We're talking about these topics now just to dispel the worries and fears of the day and to shift our focus, so that Melusina doesn't dwell on them.

"You should be more direct. You're so pretty, you should just ask him directly."

Lorraine said this, and then took a comic book out of the bookshelf.

"Isn't that how it is in 'Girl's Love Fist'? Grab his collar, pull him over, and ask him with unwavering confidence, 'Will you go out with me?!'"

She was talking about Lorraine, and even struck a pose from a comic book.

The other maid next to her clearly didn't think so, "How could that be? Most comic book encounters are accidental."

It takes a gradual approach; you must first get to know and attract the other person.

I love childhood sweethearts the most; that kind of relationship is truly enviable.

But Melusina so beautiful, that guy would definitely like her.

"But, but that's too slow," Lorraine murmured to herself, her expression somewhat forlorn.

Finally, he mustered his spirits and went over to offer suggestions.

"This heroic rescue is an opportunity. We must seize it, get close to him, and then seduce him."

"Say something about seducing L, that's too wicked, that's something only villains do."

"Oh, right, it's attraction, attract him."

What should we do?

Sending flowers.

"We only have wild grass here."

"It seems like you can send postcards in the comic."

Do you have such a thing?

"No."

"That's incredible! Sending... sending books?"

"This is okay, but it feels a bit strange."

"But didn't we specifically go to the Library to run into him last time?"

"How about sending some food? How about some homemade snacks?"

A small river beside the village.

Two figures were standing on the riverbank.

Looking in the direction of the moonlight.

It was the Village Chief and Rabik, who was in charge of the Hunting team today.

Although the two stood there quietly, their auras were completely opposed.

"Rabik, the Festival is in two months, prepare well."

Upon hearing this...

Rabik simply said calmly, "Haven't I been preparing for the Festival all along?"

"Don't play dumb here." The Village Chief's tone turned stern.

"You did this on purpose today, didn't you?"

"Old man, don't make false accusations. That girl Melusina rarely comes to watch us hunt, does she?"

Even this time, she might not come; you should understand that.

These words silenced the Village Chief.

Indeed, that was the case; he hadn't expected Melusina to suddenly come to watch the hunt today.

In the past, he was the one who took the other person out to relax, and that's how the other person would come to watch hunting.

Moreover, the fact that the monsters' attack outside broke through the Boundary today was truly an unexpected situation.

He shook his head, banishing those distracting thoughts.

"Further words are unnecessary. The Festival is very important. I hope you understand. Think about it carefully."

After saying that, the Village Chief leaned on his cane and left without looking back.

Rabik stood there, watching silently as the river flowed across the distant Boundary and outwards.

He silently stepped into the water.

It flows downstream along the icy river.

It slowly drifted to the Boundary, and then had to get out of the water and go ashore, soaking wet.

"What kind of stupid thing are you doing again? I feel like throwing up just looking at an idiot like you."

The sound came from beside the Rock.

Rabik looked over.

It was that guy who lived on the Boundary the entrance, the one who looked like a homeless person.

"Fool? Maybe, but at least I'm better than a coward like you. Get lost."

Rabik cursed without hesitation and walked away without looking back.

"A self-righteous fool."

The homeless man picked up the jug, took a sip, and muttered curses.

The rooftop of the hotel.

Kevin stood on the rooftop, silently watching Rabik walk past below.

In the quiet of the night.

Everyone who wanders outside is so conspicuous.

Including the Village Chief just returned.

"Wow, this Village is much more interesting than it seems."

Men Qi held her hands together like binoculars, looking left and right.

The daytime battle hadn't affected them, so they were just having a barbecue on the rooftop.

After all, they had hunted four large monsters, and during the butchering process, Men Qi took a portion of the meat.

It's impossible to get them to just stare at the meat without actually eating it.

Buhaci squatted down beside him, eating the kebabs in his hand.

Gowen stood next to Kevin, watching Rabik walk past below.

Do you want to get involved?

"Men Qi asked."

Buhaci ate his kebabs and shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm fine with anything. This Village is quite interesting, isn't it? It would be such a waste to destroy it."

Gowen also nodded slightly. "I also want to know the specifics of how my sister died."

Men Qi glanced at Kevin.

Kevin simply said quietly, "This isn't something I can just run away from. [Coming sound] They've got their eyes on me."

"What do you mean?" Men Qi frowned, her expression immediately turning serious.

She had never heard of this before.

"Do you know why I said there would be an accident today? It wasn't because I saw more monsters coming, but because I saw that dark figure I told you about before."

"As expected, the [Coming sound] came from that guy; he was definitely watching me today."

"As for the Village today, the accidents that occurred during the hunt are most likely related to that guy."

As soon as he left the Village, he would impatiently repeat the Coming sound in his ear.

It was obvious that he was being watched.

He had previously thought the other party wasn't forcing him, but today's behavior clearly showed he was wrong.

If this problem isn't resolved, leaving might not be so easy.

"Trouble."

I can't help it Men Qi said helplessly.

In that case, she really couldn't leave, because Kevin was invited by her. Although Kevin himself was somewhat interested in coming, it was indeed her invitation in the first place.

Therefore, she must ensure Kevin's safety, as they also bear responsibility now that Kevin is involved in the incident.

"Alright, alright, let's summarize the information now."

Since the problem has already arisen and we cannot remain uninvolved, we must solve it.

Several people sat together in a circle.

"Let's start with the problem."

Kevin said directly.

"Festival, [Coming sound], Village, Saintess."

He stated these four questions directly.

"The Festival goes without saying; Bianluoke is unwilling to elaborate. It takes place every nineteen years, and Gowen's sister died during the last one."

"This is the root of everything, but we can't just wait until the Festival starts in two months. We need to figure out why before then."

They had noticed this suspicious point from the beginning; it was just a matter of whether they wanted to get involved and investigate.

Then comes the second question.

"Then there was a [Coming sound]. This thing has been watching me ever since I came in, and it's getting more and more intense. It's clearly inconsistent with the intelligence we saw before."

"So we need to know the difference between those who can hear and those who cannot, and the difference between those who can hear and me."

"Judging from the sudden events in the Village today, this sound is related to the Village's Curse."

The group nodded in agreement.

If everything that happened today is indeed related to that black figure, then that person must be able to influence those monsters through some means.

Or rather, it can have a certain influence on the Curse within the Village, amplifying its attractiveness.

It's more likely that both are present, which would be problematic.

However, with too little information, we cannot make a hasty decision.

Men Qi added, "Just like we saw, that Rabik and that Village Chief, they're both clearly a bit problematic."

The Hunter x Hunter's eyesight is beyond question.

Moreover, the Village is very peaceful.

They spotted the two guys by the river from a distance.

Even though they only came up to barbecue, there was nothing they could do; they just saw it.

"And that homeless man by the door," Gowen reminded him.

Although they couldn't see what the three were talking about, their behavior was strange in every way.

"The last one is that girl," Xiahara said, glancing at Kevin.

Kevin sighed helplessly and said bluntly, "Okay, then there's that Saintess, her name should be Melusina, she clearly showed extra attention to me."

"As for what this attention actually means, that remains unknown."

"Since she's paying attention to me, she'll definitely take further action later, so we can wait and see about her issue."

Hearing this, Men Qi patted him on the shoulder.

They gave him a thumbs up.

"Then this Saintess is entrusted to you. Make your Sacrifice."

Kevin couldn't figure out what the Saintess really meant.

But Men Qi, with a woman's intuition, felt that the Saintess liked Kevin.

Some things are hard to understand from a man's perspective, but are very easy to see from a woman's perspective.

This is a difference in gender perspective, and it cannot be reversed or understood in a different way.

Just like some of the behaviors of boys, which are easy for boys to discern.

The girls, on the other hand, didn't understand.

However, Men Qi had to admit that, putting aside whether the Saintess's behavior was strange or not, Saintess identity was very strange, and today's surprise attack proved it.

It's understandable that the first villager was dragged away because he was closest to the Boundary.

However, the second Saintess who was attacked was not close to the Boundary, so it was clear that she was the target.

Moreover, the existence of Saintess is strange in itself.

"But shouldn't we actually deal with [the Coming sound] first?" Gowen said at this moment.

Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces.

Gowen stated his thoughts directly. "Because this thing truly poses a threat to Kevin and us?"

"Just like when Kevin and I came back last time, and like this hunt, it was proactive, so it should be the top priority, shouldn't it?"

The rest of the things posed no threat, and were essentially irrelevant to them if they ignored them.

These have a completely different level of priority than [the Coming sound].

They were brought up simply because they were unreasonable and might be related to [the Coming sound].

Kevin nodded in agreement.

"You're right, [Coming sound] this issue should be the top priority."

After thinking for a moment, Buhaci suggested, "Let's contact the outside world first and have them gather some intelligence. When we came here before, we gathered comprehensive intelligence, but we only have a general understanding of [the Coming sound]."

"Now this has become the most important issue; we may need to investigate the information within it in detail."

"That's right, and distinguishing the differences may only be possible by yourself, especially among those who also hear the sounds."

Why did you hear more than they did? You even managed to create a silhouette that only you could see.

Men Qi looked at Kevin and reminded him.

This clearly involves Kevin's own problems or secrets, and they are powerless to help him in this regard, neither emotionally nor logically.

Kevin nodded.

"No problem, I have a rough idea about this, but I still need more intelligence support."

After everyone finished discussing, Kevin took out the Satellite Phone.

Once the decision is made, there's no time to procrastinate.

The call connected quickly.

Begel's voice came from inside.

Kevin asked Begel to help him find relevant information.

After all, intelligence gathering is something that Hunter x Hunter need to do.