'Similar appearance…'
'And those light blue eyes, as if carved from the same mold.'
'He really looks so much like her…'
Cheadle's emotions surged, and memories set off a chain reaction. Her eyes gradually lost focus as the figure she had yearned for day and night blurred and merged with the young man before her.
'Fortunately…'
'He looks nothing like Hawk.'
Nothing could be more relieving than this fact.
In the midst of her distraction, Cheadle thought so.
On the other side of the threshold, staring at the suddenly visiting Cheadle, a look of surprise flashed across Moses's eyes.
Wearing a predominantly green and white outfit, she has long green hair, wore thin-rimmed black glasses, and sported a pair of dog ears.
'Cheadle, the Dog of the Zodiac Twelve?'
Images of Cheadle from the original work quickly raced through Moses's mind. The woman before him looked almost identical to the one in his memories.
If he had to point out the differences…
It's that she looked younger and had a normal nose, unlike in the original work where it was intentionally designed as a delicate and small dog's nose.
However, just from those dog ears alone, it was almost certain that the current Cheadle is already a member of Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve, hence the change in appearance to correspond with the title, Dog.
'But…'
'How on earth did my cheap father end up having a connection with a member of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve?'
'What's going on???'
Even with the memories left by the body's previous owner and the current understanding, Hawk seemed like an ordinary alcoholic monk. Moses wondered how can he be connected with Cheadle.
Moreover, Cheadle's reaction seemed a bit off…
While feeling deeply puzzled, Moses retracted the surprise in his eyes.
Upon confirming that the other party hadn't noticed this detail, he immediately revealed a gentle smile on his face and softly said, "I'm sorry, but Hawk went on a trip recently and hasn't returned yet."
"Oh, I see…"
Cheadle slowly regained her composure.
After realizing her momentary lapse, she quickly adjusted her mindset and spoke with a calm tone, "I called Hawk before coming here and knew he's not around. However, he mentioned that he would be back soon, so he asked me to come to the temple first."
"I see."
Moses pondered for a moment and asked, "Did he mention how long it would take him to return?"
"Yes, he did."
As she spoke, Cheadle instinctively lifted her white-gloved right hand, palm facing upwards, and said, "He gave a somewhat uncertain answer, saying it would probably take about three days."
"About three days …"
Moses lowered his eyelids, calculating the time. It happened to be exactly half a month.
However, based on his predecessor's memories and his current understanding, Hawk, no matter how he looked at him, was just a mundane, indulgent monk, so how did he end up having an intersection with Cheadle?
Looking at Moses, who was lost in thought, Cheadle's gaze softened.
Moses suddenly looked up.
Cheadle quickly concealed her emotions, presenting a calm expression.
"If I may ask…"
Moses looked at Cheadle and tentatively asked, "Did Hawk owe you money?"
"…"
Cheadle was forced into silence.
What she first thought of was how bad Hawk's image as a father was in Moses's heart.
Even worse—
Speaking of owing money, Hawk did indeed owe her some money.
Cheadle forced a smile, and said insincerely, "No, Hawk doesn't owe me money."
After a pause, she feigned curiosity and asked, "Why, does he owe a lot of money to someone?"
"Not a lot, he just likes to buy things on credit."
Moses raised his hand to support his chin and said, "From what I know, he borrowed more than ten pounds of meat from the butcher at the foot of the mountain and he owed a lot to the grocery store, but not as much to the general store. As he bought a lot of cigarettes and alcohol there, but the store owner is very nice, she never…"
"Having such an irresponsible father must've been hard on you."
Unable to bear hearing it any more, Cheadle gently interrupted Moses's narration.
Moses smiled and didn't continue. Instead, he invited Cheadle to come in.
Cheadle nodded and followed behind Moses.
Her gaze swept over the Aura on Moses's body.
'The flow and stability of his Nen are quite good. For an average Nen user, it would take at least six months to achieve this level of proficiency.'
'And Moses… It's already incredible that he could awaken his Nen despite the suppression of the Divine Script. Now, in less than half a month, he has reached this level of proficiency in Ten.'
"In terms of talent alone, there is no doubt that he is at monstrous level. However, Wright's guidance during this period should have played a crucial role."
Cheadle thought silently in her heart.
On her journey here, she had conducted some investigations into the current situation of this area.
She was aware that Wright had recently dealt with a wanted criminal here and deliberately stayed in the temple for a while before leaving.
And the fact that Wright 'taught' Moses was her speculation.
As for the basis of her speculation—
It was the condition for a Pro Hunter to advance in star rank.
To progress from a Single-Star to a Double-Star, one has to personally mentor a Single-Star Hunter.
Therefore, many Pro Hunters who had ambitions to get higher star rank generally won't miss any good seedlings during their careers, and taking on apprentices was a common practice.
Of course, not all Pro Hunters follow this approach. Some Pro Hunters would take in apprentices or mentor juniors based on personal preferences.
But given Wright's strong utilitarian tendencies, he would definitely actively contact and teach Moses once he sensed Moses's monstrous talent for the sake of advancing his star rank.
Cheadle's speculation was mostly consistent with the facts.
However, considering her current position and identity, she naturally wouldn't casually bring up this matter.
"I forgot to introduce myself."
Arriving in the courtyard, Moses suddenly stopped and turned to look at Cheadle, and said with a smile, "I'm Moses. But since you know Hawk, you should also know my name."
"Yes, I… I've always known."
Cheadle also stopped, her eyes flickering briefly.
Yes, she had always known, but she had always turned a blind eye.
Even though her motive is for protection…
Cheadle silently calmed her emotions and then introduced herself in a rather solemn tone, "Cheadle Yorkshire, a Double-Star Disease Hunter, and also a member of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve."
"Huh?"
Moses, who was prepared, showed a timely and natural look of confusion.
He wouldn't casually reveal his 'Prophet' identity, so he should naturally express confusion about Cheadle's mention of being a Double-Star Disease Hunter and a member of the Zodiac Twelve.
As for his identity as Nen user…
Although it had already been exposed to Cheadle, the source of him becoming a Nen user was self-awakening…
In this situation, he wouldn't suddenly act as if he knew everything.
Moreover, the other party is the friend of his father. So it's very likely that she knows some of his circumstances.
"Moses, is my introduction too formal?"
Cheadle retracted her posture, turned to Moses with a smiling face, but speculated in her heart, 'Did Wright not mention anything related to the Hunter Association to Moses?'
"No, it's just…"
Moses hesitated a bit, looking at Cheadle with a somewhat ignorant expression, hitting the right note.
"Let's have a seat first."
Cheadle pointed to the stone tables and chairs in the courtyard, and said with a smile, "Let's consider this a topic for conversation. I'll explain it to you slowly."
"Alright."
Moses nodded obediently and went to prepare tea and snacks.
Cheadle watched from the side. So far, Moses's words and actions satisfied her, and she felt fortunate once again.
Feeling fortunate that her dear friend's son didn't resemble his father, and that he hadn't been corrupted by him.
In this formal contact, both Moses and Cheadle had things they needed to conceal…
Cheadle temporarily couldn't reveal her intentions, and wouldn't voluntarily disclose the investigation she had conducted on the temple's recent situation before coming here.
While Moses's identity as a 'Prophet' was an absolute secret that couldn't be known to outsiders. Even the slightest hint couldn't be exposed. Furthermore, under the premise of his self-awakening, he couldn't appear too knowledgeable.
If Hawk, the person Moses was familiar with, was also a Nen user, then Moses wouldn't need to go to such lengths.
Both of them needed to conceal these things, resulting in a degree of pretense from their respective perspectives.
However…
Moses needed to conceal more things, and what he needed to conceal was more important.
After serving the tea and snacks, Moses sat down.
Then, Cheadle elaborately introduced the existence of the Hunter Association and the significance of star-rated Pro Hunters.
"It's really hard to imagine…"
After hearing Cheadle's introduction, Moses couldn't help but show his admiration, "How could Hawk know such a big shot like you? Are you sure he doesn't owe you money?"
"Hehe…"
Hearing Moses's words, Cheadle couldn't help but chuckle, confirming that Hawk's image in Moses's heart had deteriorated to a serious extent.
Although she disliked Hawk, at this moment, she felt a bit reluctant to let Hawk's image in Moses's heart become even worse, so once again, she insincerely said, "Hawk really doesn't owe me money."
"So how do you know Hawk then?"
Moses curiously asked.
He didn't have to know this, but there was no harm in asking under the current circumstances.
Upon hearing this, the smile on Cheadle's face faltered for a moment.
From her arrival at the temple up till now, it hadn't even been half an hour.
However, in this brief contact, Cheadle is already deeply fond of Moses.
This was because, whether in appearance or in speech and behavior, Moses resembled her deceased dear friend too much.
"Actually…"
After hesitating for a moment, she decided to say it, "Moses, your mother and I were childhood friends."
She paused for a moment, then added, "If possible, I don't really want to know Hawk."
"So that's how it is."
Moses nodded slightly, pretending not to hear Cheadle's latter half of the statement which had clear disdain for Hawk.
Regarding his predecessor's biological mother…
The memories he received did not contain any scenes of interaction with her. He didn't even know his mother's name or what she looked like.
So, it was understandable that Moses didn't show significant reaction to this information.
Looking at Moses's seemingly indifferent response, Cheadle, who knew the whole story, subconsciously bit her lip. A sudden impulse surged within her.
"Moses, come with me!"
"..."