Whale Manor X and X the Assessment Task

"Whoa..."

As the enormous airship broke through the sea of clouds and soared into the sky, Qi Zhou lay against the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the scenery outside. The sea of clouds beneath the airship stretched to the horizon, and the airship was like a blue whale passing through it. He had never flown on a plane in his last world, but he had finally fulfilled that dream in this one.

After flying for about three days, Qi Zhou and the two Phantom Troupe members arrived in New Gordon City, Golden Province, in the Republic of Padokea. To reach Bingsige Town, however, they still had to pass through two more towns. The three of them could travel on foot almost as fast as a car, though, and on the fourth day after leaving Meteor City, they reached Bingsige Town, where enormous trees grew everywhere.

The town was fascinating. All the houses were built into trees: the centers of the enormous trunks had been hollowed out, and wooden stairs on the outside led to the second floors. After they arrived, Shalnark contacted the others, then led the other two to an inn in town-the Giant Tree Inn.

Pakunoda was waiting for the three of them in the inn's lobby. When she saw Chrollo, she stood up and smiled. "Boss."

"Mm." Chrollo said, "Has everyone else arrived?"

"Uvogin said they should be here around three this afternoon," Pakunoda replied.

Chrollo nodded slightly to show he understood.

"The rooms have already been arranged." Pakunoda handed a room card to Chrollo and tossed another to Shalnark. He raised a hand to catch it and smiled. "Sorry for the trouble, Pakunoda!"

Pakunoda looked at him and smiled without saying anything.

"We'll have a meeting with everyone at eight tonight. Until then, you're free to do as you please," Chrollo said. He glanced back at the listless Qi Zhou and called, "Qi Zhou."

Qi Zhou was already half-dead with exhaustion. "Oh..."

As soon as he entered the room, he collapsed onto one of the beds, unwilling to move so much as a finger. Even with Nen, using it to boost his speed for three consecutive days and sleeping in the wilderness at night had left him utterly exhausted.

"After this operation, it's time to put your physical training on the schedule."

Chrollo spoke.

But Qi Zhou didn't hear a word. He was already asleep.

A little after nine that evening, Qi Zhou opened his eyes.

He rubbed them and sat up, still bleary-eyed.

On the other side of the room, Chrollo was sitting on a bed and Shalnark was sitting on the sofa. They seemed to be talking about something, but both sensed him waking up and stopped to look at him.

"You're awake? Get enough sleep?" Shalnark smiled. "There's a job we need you to do."

"Huh...?" Qi Zhou rubbed his eyes and roused himself, staring at him in confusion.

"Here, a visitor's guide to Whale Manor. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me." Shalnark walked over and handed him a booklet.

Qi Zhou took it and opened it, drawn to the exceptionally exquisite buildings and vast sea of flowers inside.

Whale Manor stood atop a mountain in the White Light Mountains. There was an enormous lake at the summit, and the manor was on an island in the middle of it, surrounded by vast fields of cultivated flowers. They were called "Sunward Starlets," and in the sunlight, depending on how they were cultivated, droplets of different colors could form on their stamens. They attracted large numbers of tourists during the limited period when they were open to visitors.

From March 1 to March 10 each day was the flower field's annual open period. The manor itself, however, was open only to special visitors.

A secret hidden in the flower field could lead visitors to Whale Manor. Only those who found it were qualified to enter the manor.

Shalnark said, "Your job is to find the secret in the flower field, then enter the manor through the proper channels and investigate what's inside. At the very least, find out the building's layout and where the people are stationed."

Qi Zhou closed the booklet and asked in confusion, "Something like that... are you really comfortable leaving it to me?"

"Because you're the only one who won't be suspected right now." Shalnark smiled, but had no intention of explaining further.

As an aside, Shalnark had changed the information stating that Noah Barton was "deceased," erased the death record, and removed him from the registry of canceled records. In other words, he was now a legal citizen with identification. A DNA check would turn up his information in the database, and the records from before he was five were genuine and verifiable, making them far more credible than a randomly fabricated ID.

Moreover, a seriously ill child could explain the absence of records between the ages of five and ten by saying he had been recuperating after recovering from his illness.

Shalnark said, "The manor opens for ten days at a time, after which all access routes are closed. Today is March 2. You have three days to gather the information; the remaining time has to be reserved for the Phantom Troupe's operation."

He smiled, Qi Zhou's reflection appearing in his emerald-green eyes. "Got it?"

Qi Zhou considered Shalnark's words carefully. He had a bad feeling about this.

After Shalnark left the room, Qi Zhou opened the booklet again.

Besides illustrations and an introduction to the flower field, there was also an introduction to the manor's owner. Qi Zhou took a closer look and was surprised to discover that the owner of Whale Manor was a pianist. What was more, a strange term appeared after the introduction: "music hunter."

Music and hunter...

In Qi Zhou's memory, there was no way to make sense of those two words together.

"Boss..." Qi Zhou looked at Chrollo, hesitating over whether to ask, but curiosity ultimately won out.

At some point, Chrollo had bathed and changed his clothes. He was lounging against the bed, leafing through a book he had found somewhere.

He closed the book. "Hm?"

"What does 'music hunter' mean?" Qi Zhou asked.

"'Hunter' is a profession. The Hunter Association issues licenses after an examination, and hunters have special rights," Chrollo explained. "As for the one you mentioned, it's probably one of the types of hunter."

After listening, Qi Zhou thought for a moment. "Is the exam difficult? Can I take it?"

Chrollo looked at him thoughtfully. After a while, he said, "At your level, with Nen enhancing your body, your stamina shouldn't be much of a problem, but you're sorely lacking in all kinds of experience. You'd be better off not taking it."

Qi Zhou: "..."

"If you really want to take it, finish this operation first." Chrollo's voice was calm. "This is your assessment. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Qi Zhou: "...Oh."

Seven o'clock the next morning.

Qi Zhou changed into casual clothes and left the inn. There was a bus stop not far outside, but it was packed with people.

He was surprised to find a bus that went straight to the manor, but he hadn't expected the crowd to cram aboard when it arrived. Qi Zhou took one look and silently stepped back. After the bus pulled away, he ran after it.

He would rather run. He didn't want to be packed in like a sardine.

An hour later, the bus stopped at a ticket office. Standing outside it, Qi Zhou could already see an endless sea of flowers. It was hard to imagine that a field of pure white flowers could support so many patches of rainbow.

Inside the ticket office, there were even sightseeing hot-air balloons and tour vehicles. Countless attendants wearing black bow ties pushed carts along the straight, level roads.

The dew from Sunward Starlets could reportedly be used to make wine, while their stamens and petals had different fragrances depending on their color and were premium ingredients for perfume. As such, temporary stalls on the grounds sold perfume and fruit wine.

The ticket office stood at the entrance to Whale Manor's flower field, which was enclosed by a wall. The field of Sunward Starlets surrounded the lake, and there was a small island in the lake. In the distance, a magnificent, palace-like building could be seen standing on the island.

A great many people were lined up outside the gate. After joining the line, Qi Zhou noticed awkwardly that most of the visitors were either parents with children or couples, making a child alone like him stand out.

Under the staff member's curious gaze, Qi Zhou took out the temporary ID Shalnark had given him and 5,000 Jenny for the visit and handed them over.

To be honest, it was his first time using a fake ID, and he was so nervous that he broke out in sweat. But after scanning the temporary ID with a device, the staff member stacked an exquisite card, his 500 Jenny in change, and the ID together and handed them back with a standard eight-toothed smile. "Mr. Barton, enjoy your visit!"

"Ah, thank you."

Qi Zhou quickly accepted them, then discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked inside.

But... Barton?

Was that the original owner of this body's "surname"?

As Qi Zhou thought this, his steps suddenly halted. He shuddered as though struck by electricity, and countless fragmented scenes flashed through his mind.

But the images passed too quickly, vanishing in an instant like lightning. Then came an illusory, agonizing pain-as if his organs were being torn from his body, or as if he had been pinned to a chair carrying a powerful electric current...

"Are you all right, kid?"

Qi Zhou suddenly heard someone calling to him. He came out of his daze, and the sun and breeze passing over his body brought a pleasant sensation, giving him the illusion that he had come back to life.

The person speaking to him was a black-haired man in a finely tailored dark blue suit. He looked to be in his thirties and wore a polite, gentle smile.

"...I'm all right now." Qi Zhou bowed slightly in acknowledgment. "Thank you."

"Good to hear. If you're feeling unwell, you can rest in the lounge over there." The man spoke with a smile, then walked away at a leisurely pace.

Qi Zhou watched him leave, then raised a hand to his head.

He lowered his gaze to his fake ID. The name field read "Noah Barton," and the nationality was listed as the Republic of Padokea. After that came a long identification number made up of digits and letters.

"Here's your temporary ID. If you have to answer questions about your actual ID, say you lost your official identification and got a temporary one for your trip." That was what Shalnark had said when he gave him the fake ID.

He had also said, "But it's fake, after all, so you still need to be careful. Stay away from places like hospitals."

Qi Zhou looked at his temporary ID, reading the name on it.

"Noah Barton..."

"If this is fake, then... what was that vision just now? Was it a hallucination, or... something that's already happened?"