Under Qiao Lun's control, Nue descended toward the rooftop where Kurapika was.
Two people were already waiting there.
One was Kurapika, a handsome young man with short, pale blond hair and a solemn expression. The other was Melody, who stood no more than a meter tall, her entire body wrapped in a cloak and a bowler hat on her head, leaving only her somewhat ugly face exposed.
"Hello, I'm Kurapika, a bodyguard for the Nostrade Family. This is Melody." Kurapika took the initiative to introduce himself with sincerity.
"I'm Qiao Lun." Qiao Lun offered goodwill as well.
As for his name in the Zenin Clan, he had abandoned it the moment he crossed over. He had never liked that name anyway, so he might as well go back to the name he had used as an ordinary person before crossing into the world of Jujutsu.
"I'll cut to the chase. I saw spider tattoos on the people who attacked the auction house. I imagine they're members of the Phantom Troupe." Qiao Lun made no attempt to conceal it, revealing the attackers' identities outright.
At Qiao Lun's words, Kurapika's gaze visibly sharpened, and even the aura around him changed in an instant.
Concern appeared in Melody's eyes beside him.
"It was them?!" Feitan was the most surprised. He had nearly died at the attackers' hands.
Kurapika abruptly turned and started toward the stairs.
But after only two steps, Melody stopped him. "Kurapika, calm down."
Qiao Lun naturally knew why Kurapika was so agitated. After all, according to the information given in the manga, Kurapika's Kurta Clan had been massacred by the Phantom Troupe, and his clansmen's Scarlet Eyes had been gouged out.
The White Divine Dogs had already approached after Nue landed. From the cries coming from below, he could also tell that only two Troupe members were pursuing him.
In that case, as long as he left Uvogin to Kurapika and took on Machi himself, his chances of winning should be over eighty percent.
Those odds were already high enough to make it worth taking action.
Especially since, after tonight, bounties would be placed on all the Troupe members. After killing Machi or Uvogin, he could collect their bounties directly.
That would give him his first pot of gold since crossing into this world.
As for whether any unexpected developments might occur along the way, such as Uvogin ending up facing him instead, that made little difference to Qiao Lun.
Even if he could only kill one member in the end, that would be enough.
In any case, after tonight, the Ten Dons would definitely put hefty bounties on the Troupe.
The Black Divine Dogs had stopped moving, presumably because Machi and her companion had reached the Bechta Hotel.
As for the Nen threads Machi had left on Nue earlier, they had fallen to the ground when Nue disappeared into Qiao Lun's shadow.
Now all they needed to do was leave the rooftop, and Machi could forget about continuing to pinpoint their location with her Nen threads.
"Want to work together?" Qiao Lun was the sort who, as long as he could kill an opponent, would do everything he could to kill them.
And if he could not kill them, he would avoid them for the time being, then kill them when the time was ripe.
For Qiao Lun, a favor could perhaps be repaid later, or even go unrepaid, but a grudge was best settled before the night was out. Otherwise, he would lose sleep. And if it had to wait overnight, it still had to be resolved as soon as possible, or he would feel unsafe.
This personality had developed partly from the lack of security brought on by crossing worlds, and partly from the influence of the Zenin Clan's peculiar environment.
Uvogin of the Phantom Troupe had already made him feel threatened through his relentless pursuit.
So his taking the initiative to scheme against Uvogin now, and even wanting to kill him, was entirely the result of the Troupe's actions triggering Qiao Lun's underlying code and giving him a sense of crisis.
Kurapika first nodded to Melody to reassure her, then took a deep breath before turning to Qiao Lun. "What do you mean?"
"You should have heard those cries. That was information brought back by the shikigami I sent out. Only two Troupe members are heading to the Bechta Hotel." Qiao Lun carefully watched every subtle change in Kurapika's expression.
Upon hearing Qiao Lun's information, Kurapika's pupils visibly trembled, and his hands involuntarily clenched.
That meant Kurapika had taken an interest in his proposal.
"You're quite strong, and judging by your emotional reaction to hearing about the Phantom Troupe, it's not hard to tell that you have a deep-seated grudge against them.
"Those intense emotions should be enough to make you stronger when you face them, so do you want to join forces? If we act together, we might be able to finish off these two members. This is a pretty good opportunity." Qiao Lun extended the invitation.
Kurapika was not surprised by Qiao Lun's assessment.
He simply did not yet understand Qiao Lun's reason for attacking the Phantom Troupe. He did not even know exactly who Qiao Lun was.
Those uncertainties would make this collaboration risky.
Seeing that Kurapika did not immediately answer, Qiao Lun continued his pitch. "As long as you agree now, I have a way to lure them to a designated location. Then we can each take one, and those two can help as well."
Qiao Lun pointed to Melody and Feitan. The two might not be particularly capable in a head-on fight, but their abilities were both rather unusual. Used well, they could also be powerful weapons.
"Are you confident?" Dalzollene's voice came through Kurapika's earpiece.
The Phantom Troupe were Class A wanted criminals. Combined with how quickly they had cleared out the auction house earlier, that was enough for Dalzollene to understand how powerful they were.
But if Qiao Lun's proposal really could be carried out, then the Nostrade Family, having taken the lives of Troupe members, would gain a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a name for itself.
"The Ten Dons have already sent the Shadow Beasts to deal with the Phantom Troupe. Though they won't be a match for the Troupe members, they can create a good opportunity for us to attack." Qiao Lun sweetened the offer again.
Dalzollene's voice was quiet, but it could not escape Qiao Lun's keen hearing.
The key now was still Kurapika's choice.
But Kurapika shook his head. "I refuse."
Qiao Lun frowned.
"All right, then." Qiao Lun turned and headed straight toward the stairs.
Just then, however, Feitan stepped forward of his own accord. "Qiao Lun, can you leave me your contact information?"
Feitan's request put Qiao Lun in something of a bind.
He did have a phone, but it was from the Jujutsu world. Although it was more advanced than the phones in the Hunter world at this point in time, it had neither a number nor a signal.
Seemingly noticing Qiao Lun's difficulty, Feitan tossed his own phone directly to him.
"You saved me, so the phone is yours. Keep in touch. I'm not
"someone who forgets a favor," Feitan said with a smile.
"Okay." Qiao Lun accepted the phone, but his gaze lingered on Kurapika for a few more seconds before he looked away.
As Qiao Lun left, Melody's gaze also settled on Kurapika.