Shizuku and Evana have exceptional talent. Under Noah's guidance, the two of them learned Qi Refinement in just one hour, which left Noah quite impressed.
"I've also given you the basic knowledge of Nen abilities, but remember what I said. At your age, it's the perfect time to lay the foundation. Don't rush it. It's best to start practicing Nen abilities in two years. Understand?" Noah earnestly instructed the two.
"I understand, Master!" Evana said with a cheerful smile.
Shizuku nodded at the same time and said, "Got it."
Seeing this, Noah also smiled. He thought for a moment and said, "You don't need to call me Master. I don't consider you two my disciples, but rather as partners. Just call me by my name."
Evana immediately changed her address, "Understood, brother Noah!"
"Brother… Noah." Shizuku tried to imitate Evana but could tell she wasn't used to it. She shook her head and corrected herself, "Noah."
"It's fine to call me whatever you like. Now, I want both of you to help me with something." Noah didn't mind the names as long as they didn't call him Master. He waved his hand and explained his plan to the two.
"You both will stay in Meteor City. While improving your strength, also keep an eye on the Elder's council activities, and record any information you find. Let me know if there's an opportunity."
"Elder's Council? No problem! What kind of information do you want, brother Noah?" Despite some confusion, Evana nodded without hesitation and asked.
"Anything is useful. Record information about the number of Elder's Council members, including their subordinates, their appearance, age, blood type, interests, and what they value. Any information related to the Elder's Council is valuable," Noah gave a few examples.
After listening to Noah's instructions, Evana and Shizuku exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously, saying, "Understood."
"That's settled then. Remember what I told you earlier. Build a strong foundation steadily, and you'll go further. I'll teach you more about the practical applications of Nen abilities later." Noah extended his hand and gently touched their heads, emphasizing his point once again.
"Don't worry, brother Noah. I'll remember, and I'll also supervise this fool." Evana raised her hand as if taking an oath.
Being called a fool, Shizuku miraculously didn't protest.
Next, Ashu brought another person. Noah watched as Evana and Shizuku disappeared around the corner of the street. Then, along with the others, he set off to return to the Zoldyck Family.
When they arrived at the Gate of Trials, everyone, except Noah and Ashu, showed a shocked expression upon seeing the towering gate.
Looking at their reactions, Noah recalled how he felt when he first saw the Gate of Trials.
This grand structure could only be truly appreciated when standing in front of it, and experiencing the overwhelming sense of awe.
"Is this the place you call the Zoldyck Family?" Ruixi looked up at the Gate of Trials, murmuring in amazement.
"That's right. This is the gate of the Zoldyck Family. All the land beyond this gate belongs to the Zoldyck Family," Noah explained, turning his head.
Hearing Noah's explanation, these people were even more amazed and surprised.
"This is… too… too domineering. Isn't a killer supposed to be a hidden figure in the shadows? This place looks like a tourist attraction." Wood mentioned the sightseeing bus they had seen earlier, speaking softly.
Hearing his words, Noah also smiled.
If it were any other assassins, it might be as Wood said, but the Zoldyck Family was definitely an exception.
As the world's most famous assassin family, the Zoldyck Family's headquarters were completely exposed, and visible to the world.
Yet, despite this exposure, there were very few people in the world who had seen Zoldyck Family members.
Those who had seen them had likely already gone to have tea with the King of Hell. This alone was enough to prove the Zoldyck Family's strength.
"How do we get inside?" one of the young men in black windbreakers curiously asked. All the individuals chosen by Ashu appeared to be in their twenties, and this was one of the requirements set by Gatoh initially. Out of the ten people, seven were men, including Jerl, Wood, and Yan, while the remaining three were Ruixi and two other women.
When he asked this question, Noah suddenly found himself dumbfounded because it reminded him of the situation when he had participated in the butler assessment himself.
The first requirement back then was to push open the second trial door.
Noah's gaze shifted to the trial door in front of him, and then he looked back at the others. In his mind, he thought, "We're in trouble."
When he and Ashu had been selecting people, they hadn't considered whether these individuals could push open the trial door, and now Noah looked back and realized that, except for Ruixi, the other nine individuals might struggle to open even the first trial door.
"There's no such requirement. Seriously, did you not carefully listen to Gatoh's words before you came out?" Ashu noticed Noah's movements and expression, quickly guessed what was on Noah's mind, and sighed helplessly, saying.
Noah was taken aback, "Huh?"
"The people chosen this time only need to meet basic age, physical fitness, and appearance criteria. There's no need for them to push open the trial doors as we did in the past. However, pushing open the trial doors will be their first test after receiving training," Ashu explained.
"Oh," Noah suddenly realized, then scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and chuckled, "Haha, sorry, I didn't know. I'm glad that you're reliable. So, can we just go in then?"
"Being praised by you as 'reliable' feels a bit strange," Ashu rolled his eyes and then nodded, saying, "Yes, let's take them to the wooden house first."
Noah remembered the wooden house that Ashu mentioned quite clearly. After all, he had lived there for a month, and it was during that month that he had barely passed Gatoh's test to become an apprentice butler.
Now, it seemed like that place had become the residence for these guys led by Ashu and him. In other words, does this mean that Noah and Ashu are their teacher for this month?
Heading towards the trial door, a familiar figure emerged from the guard room in front of the door. The security guard's uncle, Zebro, waved towards them, saying, "Welcome back, Mr. Noah, Mr. Ashu. I'll inform Mr. Gatoh right away."
"No problem, Uncle Zebro. Thank you," Noah had a good impression of this uncle who had encouraged him back in the day.
"How do we open this door?" After Zebro informed Gatoh of their return through the phone, Noah and the others came to the front of the trial door, standing there. Ruixi timidly asked.
Facing her question, Noah and Ashu exchanged smiles.