After a long time, Abengane took out his phone, checked his bank account, and saw the amount of Germain's payment.
Hmm, wait, this amount...
It was only then that Abengane realized Germain had sent a lot more this time compared to the previous two payments.
The amount seemed off, or maybe...
Abengane understood immediately.
Germain must have noticed that the "Nen Exorcism" was getting more challenging, so he decided to increase the payment without mentioning it.
Abengane felt touched...
Even though "Exorcism" is somewhat risky, Germain is at least paying a fair price and even increased the payment on his own.
To Abengane, Germain was a much better client than his previous ones who were greedy and had hidden agendas.
Meanwhile, Germain and Kurapika had left the basement.
The sky outside had turned cloudy, and a light rain had started. The ground was wet with puddles forming everywhere.
"Second question," Germain said, walking ahead without looking back, as the rain trickled down his beak. "For carrying my suitcase."
Kurapika paused for a moment, swallowed, and asked, "You have information on all or some members of the Phantom Troupe, right?"
"So smart and sharp..."
Germain gave a slight smile and said, "Yes."
He knew that Kurapika was already doubting his identity, and answering now was like admitting he was indeed the "Germain."
Kurapika's breathing hitched. His eyes, hidden behind colored contacts, had turned a fiery red, though it wasn't visible from the outside.
The rain started to fall harder, like a somber drumbeat echoing in his soul.
He suddenly stopped, lowered his head, and roared at Germain like a small lion that had been held back for too long.
"Troupe Killer' Germain... are you... are you joking with me?!"
Kurapika no longer believed that meeting Germain was a coincidence.
From his perspective, Germain had deliberately found him and lured him into getting the so-called "Nen ability."
He didn't like feeling manipulated and toyed with.
Germain stopped but didn't respond to Kurapika. He had agreed to answer only the second question, so he stuck to that.
"I'm a person of principles," Germain said.
He moved forward to retrieve the suitcase from Kurapika.
Unexpectedly, Kurapika held onto it tightly, staring at Germain. His eyes grew sad, like a raindrop sliding down his face.
"What can I do to get more information?"
Germain relaxed his grip and allowed Kurapika to keep the suitcase.
"I'm heading to the hotel. I don't want to sleep on the street. You can either follow me or return my luggage."
Kurapika bit his lip and clenched his fists, but eventually he relaxed and chose to give in.
"Please let me follow you."
Germain shrugged, turned around, and kept walking.
This time, Kurapika followed closely without stopping.
When they reached the nearest hotel, both of them were soaked through, and the waiter offered to bring them hot towels.
At least Germain was protected by his black bird-beak hunter's robe. Once he removed the outer layer, he would be much more comfortable.
Kurapika, on the other hand, had nothing covering his face. His golden hair clung to his face, making him look tired, thin, and quite miserable.
Germain booked two rooms and tossed the key to one of them to Kurapika. He then flicked Kurapika's forehead with his finger, grabbed his suitcase, and went upstairs.
Kurapika touched his forehead, which didn't hurt at all, and looked at Germain's retreating figure, puzzled. After a moment, he suddenly understood.
It was one o'clock in the morning.
Germain had changed out of his black bird-beak hunter robe into a set of clean pajamas. He sat on the bed, reading a book called "Beast Encyclopedia," which Knuckle had recommended. The more he read, the more interesting it became.
After a while, there was a knock on the door, which was very clear in the quiet night.
Germain wasn't surprised. He set down his book, got up, walked to the door, and opened it.
Standing outside was Kurapika, now dressed in the hotel's pajamas with his own clothes drying. He looked determined as he faced Germain.
"Come in," Germain said, stepping aside.
This was the first time Kurapika saw Germain's face without the bird-beak mask. He hadn't expected Germain to be such a handsome young man.
Although there was an old, blurry wanted photo of Germain online, Kurapika hadn't seen it clearly himself.
He estimated that Germain was only five or six years older than him.
But there was an immense gap between them, separating the "people of this world" from the "people of that world."
Kurapika needed to understand this "gap" and find a way to bridge it.
When Kurapika entered Germain's room, it felt as though he was stepping into Germain's world, along with Abengane and the others.
Germain closed the door and walked into the living room, noticing Kurapika standing still.
"Please, sit down," Germain said casually as he took a seat on the sofa. "I don't want to be looking up at you while we talk."
Kurapika sat down, but he did so very uprightly, like a model of "other people's children."
"The Hunter Exam will take place next January," Kurapika said calmly. "In addition, I need to train in what you call 'Nen ability,' which will likely take several more months. I can't wait that long."
He looked up at Germain.
"Besides that, you have the experience, skills, and record of defeating the Phantom Troupe. I can't think of a reason not to ask you for advice."
"Please tell me what you need."
Germain thought for a moment and said, "How about one story, then another?"
Kurapika paused, trying to understand Germain's meaning, and then sighed.
"My name is Kurapika. I am the only survivor of the Kurta Clan, which was wiped out. I happened to be away at the time, so I escaped."
"When I discovered that the Phantom Troupe was behind this, I swore to retrieve the 'Scarlet Eyes' taken from my people and seek revenge against them."
Kurapika removed his contact lenses in front of Germain, showing his eyes which had turned a fierce red with hatred and anger.
"Because of our 'Scarlet Eyes', our clan experiences a significant boost in physical abilities, surpassing ordinary people. This has led to us being seen as 'aliens' and 'devil incarnate'."
"Moreover, there are many collectors who view the 'Scarlet Eyes' as one of the so-called 'seven wonders,' which has brought much suffering to our tribe."
"As a result, our clan has had to live in hiding in the mountains and forests, constantly moving our settlement to maintain a temporary stable life."
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