After putting his cell phone in a wooden box, Germain continued building his cabin.
Half a day later, using his "Nen ability," Germain successfully built a simple cabin and grilled fish by the lake.
Thus, his training began.
First, he set his "Vows and Limitations," then he tested them, made adjustments, and repeated the process.
During this time, he diligently practiced the "Nen of the Flame".
He trained from dawn until dusk. With self-discipline, Germain even found enjoyment in the routine.
One week, two weeks, three weeks...
Time flew by, and after more than a month, the details of his practice need not be repeated. Only Germain knew the hardship and perseverance involved.
On March 8, 1998, Germain's training paid off. As he expected, the final result was a bit different from his original idea.
But the most important thing was that Germain succeeded. He spent the last week honing himself to ensure his "Vows and Limitations" were effective.
At dusk, Germain finished his last day of mountain training. He descended the weedy trail and returned to his wooden house, which he had repaired many times over the past month, to prepare dinner.
Before entering, he heard a series of meows that warmed his heart.
"They're here so soon? I thought they'd come at night," he mused.
For some reason, cats seemed especially fond of Germain.
A group of cats gathered in front of his cabin, all tamed by Germain over the past month.
He couldn't name their species, but by their looks, they resembled tigers, black panthers, cougars, lynxes, and jungle cats. They were harmoniously sniffing each other.
As soon as they saw Germain, they meowed softly or loudly, came over, and rubbed against his black hunter robe.
Germain took out some meat to feed them and petted their exposed bellies. Then, he retrieved his phone from the wooden box and turned it on.
"It's time to see if there's any news," he thought.
Germain's face reflected on the phone screen, his slight beard making him look more mature.
Since turning off his phone over a month ago, he hadn't touched it until today.
Even in his previous world, he wasn't this disciplined.
Because of this focus, he achieved and adjusted his "Vows and Limitations," and his "physique" and "capacity" each increased by one point.
With this natural improvement, Germain didn't have to suffer "Pressure Torture," which was really a good thing.
After turning on his phone, Germain saw a ton of notifications and ignored them all with a simple swipe of his finger.
He first checked the "StageCoach Chat Group" and saw a series of daily conversations between Bisky and Shizuku.
Usually, Bisky was the one doing most of the talking.
Shizuku would occasionally reply, and sometimes she would forget to respond until Bisky reminded her.
"My practice is over."
Germain didn't have the patience to read the entire conversation, so he scrolled to the end, sent this message, and then switched to his call and text records.
Among them, the most missed calls were indeed from the "bad woman" Machi. There was still one call until February 13, and then no communication at all.
I guess the members of the Phantom Troupe never dreamed he would be so "ambitious" and cut off contact at the slightest disagreement, right?
The next largest number of missed calls were from Bisky and Shizuku.
Additionally, there were three strange calls from the same phone number. He switched to the text messages and saw the messages from this number.
First, there was a smiley face that made him uncomfortable, and then the content.
"I have never seen Machi's face so gloomy. You're really good at this. In this respect, we are really the same."
Chrollo's reaction was very flat. I thought he would show some emotion, but he had almost no expression. He probably didn't care at all.
"I took this chance to ask Machi for your phone number, but I couldn't reach you."
"You know I'm very interested in Chrollo, but there's never been a good opportunity. I think we might have similar interests. How about we talk in person?"
"Your magician with love."
After Germain marked Hisoka's number as "pervert," he switched back to the "StageCoach Chat Group."
By this time, Bisky's emojis were flooding the screen.
Shizuku only sent two messages.
"I've taken care of the donation."
"When is the next 'Dark Continent Trip'?"
Germain ignored Bisky's flood of emojis and replied to Shizuku: "Take it easy for now. I'll find someone to practice with. You can start preparing, and I'll contact you then."
Shizuku replied, "Okay."
Bisky then said, "You two, don't ignore me!!!"
Germain then addressed Bisky and answered her questions.
"Don't worry. The 'Nen training' is showing results. I'm not impatient. I've been doing physical and mental training and practicing martial arts."
After a while, Bisky replied.
"That's good. I know you wouldn't lie about these things (smiley face). The next step is to keep at it for several years, just like Chairman Netero."
"One day, your talent will surely bloom amidst hardships."
"By the way, did you just turn on your phone? I'm not sure if you've been online. There was some big news about two weeks ago."
"On February 14th, the Phantom Troupe went to Bulli City and caused chaos. They robbed the largest underground vault there, leaving a trail of blood behind them."
"After the robbery, they seemed to vanish without a trace. Maybe they are reselling the stolen goods?"
When Germain heard this, he wasn't surprised.
The Phantom Troupe really did change the time and place. Maybe Chrollo also sent one or two people to the original meeting place to check if Germain had leaked any information.
To save time and avoid trouble, Germain replied directly: "I had my phone off and didn't get any messages from them, so I didn't know about this."
Bisky didn't doubt him. She had thought so originally, but she reminded him subtly: "I don't think you're the same as them."
"The Phantom Troupe might have maintained order in Meteor City and helped it, but they've made too many enemies outside. Sooner or later, they'll face the consequences."
Bisky's prediction wasn't wrong, because in the future, those "consequences" would appear, and Kurapika and Hisoka would become the two forces that challenge the Phantom Troupe.
Kurapika is driven by revenge, willing to do anything.
Hisoka wants a grand party, seeing all the Phantom Troupe members and Chrollo as his hunting targets, and he won't stop until they're all dead.
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