Departure X and X the Journey

This was the first time Qi Zhou had observed this world from such a close distance since arriving in it.

Because they thought he ran too slowly, Uvogin, Feitan, and Nobunaga took turns carrying him. When Uvogin carried him, he could sit on Uvogin's shoulders. The other two just tucked him under an arm or slung him over a shoulder, jolting him so badly that all his internal organs shifted.

The group ran at an incredible speed, so fast that the scenery on both sides rushed backward, like the view from a moving train.

After leaving the building, they first ran along the streets. An hour later, piles of garbage as tall as mountains came into view, along with countless enormous things that looked like submarines. They flew over, opened their hatches, dumped countless loads of garbage, and flew away.

Qi Zhou stared in shock at the "submarines" flying through the sky.

"Never seen one before? That's called an airship." Shalnark noticed Qi Zhou's curious gaze and explained as he ran, "We're going to ride one later, too."

Qi Zhou nodded and began looking forward to it.

As incredible as "airships" were, nothing could be more incredible than dying fair and square and getting to live again. Thinking of it that way, he could accept whatever else happened.

The group seemed immune to the law of gravity, running as fast as if they were flying and jumping higher than buildings. In just ten minutes, they crossed the hill-like garbage piles and reached the desert at the outermost edge. Yellow sands stretching to the horizon surrounded the area they had just left, and the temperature rose.

But Qi Zhou was still entranced by the sights.

Another hour passed. Qi Zhou sat on Uvogin's shoulders, clutching his furry shawl, and from his perch on the "giant's" shoulders, he saw a city in the distance. Their running pace also slowed.

As the Badge on his shoulder vanished when its time ran out, Shalnark spoke up. "This Badge is pretty useful."

Chrollo turned his head slightly toward the three of them. "Kortopi, Pakunoda, how was it?"

"Compared to before, our speed increased by ten percent after using it, and we saved about eight percent of our Nen," Pakunoda replied.

"About six percent for me," Kortopi said. "But I have more stamina left than before."

Chrollo nodded and glanced at Qi Zhou again. This kid really was a good charger.

Each Badge could be used for ten minutes, with a twenty-minute restriction after use, but it would not disappear until a day after it was made.

So, counting the Badges made yesterday, each of the two women and two noncombatants in the group had received five. During their two-hour-and-ten-minute dash, the Badges' effects had already begun to show.

More importantly, the kid was still just a beginner with Nen Abilities.

After running for nearly another twenty minutes, the group stopped in a secluded corner before entering the town.

"Pakunoda, Machi, Feitan, and Phinks, you're one group."

"Nobunaga, Uvogin, and Kortopi, you're another."

"Qi Zhou, Shalnark, and I are the last."

After making the arrangements, Chrollo looked at everyone. "Once you reach Golden Province in the Republic of Padokea, gather in Bingsige Town before entering the mountains."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Pakunoda cast a worried glance at Qi Zhou. She seemed to think that not only could he not fight, but he would also hold them back. Hesitating, she said, "Boss..."

Chrollo smiled faintly and said nothing. After meeting his gaze, Pakunoda continued speaking.

He said calmly, "Then let's each set off. We only need to arrive within a week."

Everyone went their separate ways.

Qi Zhou walked behind Chrollo, with Shalnark bringing up the rear.

He studied the town. It was not all that different from the towns of his previous world buried in his memories, but because he was seeing the houses and pedestrians with his own eyes, the colors seemed more vivid.

Most of the townspeople had black hair. There were utility poles, trash cans, streetlights, and cars speeding back and forth on the streets. Even the traffic lights were exactly as he remembered them. That was truly amazing. The writing and countries were different, yet so many things were so similar.

What kind of connection was there between this world and his previous one?

"There's something interesting about the way you look at things."

Chrollo spoke softly.

Qi Zhou shuddered. "Huh?"

Chrollo asked softly, "What you're seeing surprises you. Why? These are all ordinary things, so why are you surprised to see them?"

Chrollo paused, then added, "Or are you seeing something only you can see?"

Qi Zhou: "..."

He rubbed his temples in frustration, not knowing how to answer.

Was he supposed to say that he had not expected to see things from his past life in this one too?

Chrollo smiled and did not press him further.

The small town did not look very big, but only when you walked through it did you realize you should not overestimate your abilities.

The two of them walked so fast that an ordinary person could never keep up. After being left behind for the eighth time, Qi Zhou braced one hand against a wall and panted heavily.

He had already reached the daily limit of ten Badges. Without one, even though he had Nen, his physical condition was no different from that of a normal child his age. As far as he was concerned, it was already no easy feat to have kept running with them this long.

Besides, the person responsible for preparing food had slept in, so the group, originally scheduled to leave in the morning, had not gathered until almost ten. There had been no breakfast, and they had not eaten lunch on the road either. After reaching town, they had spent another hour crossing it, and now it was nearly two in the afternoon.

Qi Zhou felt he really could not go on.

The two walking ahead noticed that the kid behind them had disappeared again: "..."

"Shalnark, go on ahead," Chrollo said.

Shalnark nodded. "All right." Then his figure vanished around the street corner in the blink of an eye.

Hands in his pockets, Chrollo watched impassively as Qi Zhou panted his way over.

"Boss..."

Before Qi Zhou could catch his breath, the aloof boss turned away again, leaving him staring at his back. "Keep up."

Qi Zhou: "...Help!"

After forcing himself to run for another twenty minutes, Qi Zhou felt as though he was about to faint. He braced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath, when suddenly a shadow fell over him.

"Boss..." Qi Zhou panted. "I really... can't... run anymore..."

Chrollo silently watched him for a long moment, then stared at him with disdain and asked, "What about your Nen?"

Qi Zhou: "Huh?"

"Tsk." Chrollo could not understand how someone who possessed such a treasure but had no idea how to use it had survived this long. He thought the student he had taken was frighteningly stupid, needing to be taught step by step.

"Looks like expecting you to figure it out yourself isn't very likely."

Chrollo raised a hand to cover his mouth, apparently thinking. A moment later, he said, "How did you stand up that day?"

Qi Zhou recalled it and answered, "I gathered Nen in my legs."

Chrollo ordered, "Do it again."

Qi Zhou slowly steadied his breathing and gathered his aura in his legs.

"Withdraw the Nen from the rest of your body."

Qi Zhou took some time to withdraw the Ten from the rest of his body, bit by bit.

For some reason, he felt the aura elsewhere slowly beginning to flow toward his legs. It was like a balloon pinched off at one point: the air inside would flow elsewhere on its own, without needing to be actively controlled.

Qi Zhou calmed himself and concentrated. The aura bursting from his body surged and accumulated in his legs, immense power gathering within them. Qi Zhou opened his eyes. A terrifying recoil came from beneath his feet. He took a gentle step forward, and then-

With a bang, he appeared several meters away and crashed headfirst into a wall.

"Fuck! That hurts like hell-! Ow-!" Holding the huge bump on his forehead, Qi Zhou reached up and found his hand covered in blood. He sat on the ground, too dizzy to stand.

Chrollo: "..."

He suddenly regretted a little putting Qi Zhou on the reserve list.

With the first problem solved, it was time for the second.

Qi Zhou, a bandage stuck to his forehead, sat at a table slurping noodles. He had not expected this world to have big bowls of beef noodles too. The beef did not quite taste like the beef he remembered, but it was ten thousand times better than expired canned food!

Chrollo sat across from him, watching him expressionlessly.

After eating and drinking his fill, Qi Zhou rubbed his belly in contentment.

"Tsk." Chrollo stared at Qi Zhou's eyes, narrowed happily, and thought that the boy really was easy to satisfy. But from a certain perspective, someone so easily satisfied was hard to control, and even after controlling him, it was hard to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Chrollo asked, "Had enough? Do you want another bowl?"

Qi Zhou said, "Ah, I'm full, I'm full. Thank you, Boss."

Chrollo stood and placed two thousand-Jenny notes on the table. "Then let's go."

Qi Zhou said, "Oh," and followed him outside.

He did not know whether he had imagined it, but he seemed to hear someone shouting, "Where did my Jenny go?! There's a thief!"

Qi Zhou paused and, for some inexplicable reason, carefully glanced at Chrollo, but the latter looked so upright that there was not the slightest sign of anything wrong.

His expression made Qi Zhou begin to doubt himself.

Qi Zhou thought, Impossible. I was probably just being suspicious.

And so, the two figures, one large and one small, disappeared down the street again.

This time, Qi Zhou ran much faster and could just barely keep up with the figure ahead, who was deliberately controlling his speed.

Ten minutes later, the two arrived at the airship station.

Qi Zhou followed Chrollo, but there was too much to take in.

More than a dozen enormous airships were parked on the square. Compared with them, people were so tiny they were practically invisible.

For some reason, Qi Zhou suddenly felt excited.

This world... really was incredible.