Someone was hiding in the shadows of the passengers.
It might sound unbelievable, but Nen abilities make such things possible.
Kang, despite his sharp eye for seeing through Moro's disguise, failed to detect the figure lurking in the shadows.
This wasn't negligence—it was because this ability could evade detection from techniques like Gyo (enhanced vision).
The Nen user hiding in the shadows was none other than Rokuhara, a skilled practitioner from the Liuying Nation.
According to the original plan, after obtaining the famed blade Senra, Rokuhara was supposed to return to his homeland with his companions.
However, his leader gave him a new mission:
Find out why and how Senra's Nen energy vanished.
Thus, Rokuhara set his sights on Moro and had finally found an enclosed environment perfect for making his move.
"Shadow Without Return"
This was Rokuhara's secret art.
In reality, it was a Nen ability, but in the Liuying Nation, unique abilities were referred to as secret arts or ninjutsu.
The effect of Shadow Without Return allowed Rokuhara to freely travel through the shadows of non-Nen users within a certain range.
This range was defined more by volume than distance.
And the entire airship's volume happened to fall within the range of Rokuhara's shadow-walking ability.
In addition to this ability, Rokuhara possessed another technique that leaned toward manipulation-type Nen.
Once he entered someone's shadow, if he stayed long enough to meet the "infiltration time threshold," he could gain control of the target, which allowed for two types of control methods:
He could hide in the target's shadow and invade their soul, effectively possessing their body.
He could remove the target's shadow, turning them into a humanoid puppet that followed commands.
At this moment, Rokuhara was lurking within a passenger's shadow, in no hurry to act.
The airship would take three days to reach the Guganyu Kingdom.
Although there would be refueling stops along the way, passengers would not be allowed to disembark during the process.
In other words, Rokuhara had three full days to complete his mission.
With plenty of time at his disposal, he could first infiltrate and control more passengers, quietly forming a group of puppets.
This was the primary reason he waited for an enclosed space like this.
It allowed him to safely amass his puppet army without worrying about Moro leaving mid-journey.
In the thick, pitch-black shadow dimension, Rokuhara's body remained motionless. His expression was blank as he patiently waited for the right moment to strike.
Inside a VIP cabin
Kang stood by the door, answering the strong female bodyguard's question:
"That young man is a Nen user. He's using a disguise technique."
"Hm?!"
The female bodyguard, Talia, narrowed her eyes upon hearing this.
Although she had been influenced by Kang's instincts into suspecting Moro, she hadn't managed to see through Moro's disguise herself.
Kang crossed his arms, his face calm:
"I didn't sense any hostility from him, but that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. Out of all the passengers, he's the only Nen user. Being extra cautious won't hurt."
"…"
Talia stared at Kang, hesitant to speak.
On the sofa inside the cabin, the woman with long, silken silver hair, who had taken off her mask and sunglasses, glanced over at them nonchalantly.
"What is it?"
Kang raised an eyebrow, puzzled by Talia's reaction.
Talia hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding not to correct Kang's improper use of an idiom. Instead, she shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
Kang felt even more confused.
Despite his exceptional sensitivity to potential threats, Kang seemed strangely dull when it came to things like grammar and math.
Choosing not to dwell on Talia's strange reaction, Kang shifted his gaze to their employer seated on the sofa—the woman with silvery hair as smooth as satin.
Their employer was a royal princess from the Guganyu Kingdom.
When Kang initially accepted this escort mission, he didn't think much of it.
He'd taken similar jobs before—protecting royals and nobles as they traveled from one country to another.
The biggest threat usually involved attacks from other Nen users.
But this time was completely different.
If Kang had known this escort mission was tied to a power struggle within the royal family, he wouldn't have accepted it—even if Chairman Netero himself had assigned it to him.
He despised these convoluted political games.
However, since he had accepted the job, his professional ethics required him to carry it out with the utmost dedication, no matter how much it pained him.
Fortunately, this silver-haired princess was surprisingly reasonable—she showed none of the usual arrogance or haughtiness typical of royalty. She was cooperative and understood the reality of the situation.
However…
During moments of attack, this princess displayed a calmness akin to a machine.
All the dangers aimed at her seemed like trivial matters in her eyes.
Kang could sense the contradiction in her demeanor.
It was as though she believed that dying on the "path forward" was an expected outcome.
Thus, when faced with mortal danger, she exuded a calm acceptance so indifferent that Kang found it difficult to discern any will to resist.
And yet, she firmly believed that as long as she survived to the end, she would be able to prove her worth.
Amid this contradiction, her thoughts and will felt like those of a pure observer, watching herself walk along a thorn-filled path as though it had nothing to do with her.
After spending some time around her, Kang concluded that this silver-haired princess possessed an indescribable quality.
Whether from a professional standpoint or a personal one, he genuinely hoped she would survive.
Knock, knock
A knock came from the door.
Talia immediately positioned herself in front of the silver-haired princess.
Kang stepped to the door and opened it just a crack—only three fingers wide.
Outside stood a server in uniform, pushing a food cart. The server smiled politely:
"Good evening, your meal is ready…"
"Just leave it there."
Kang's tone was indifferent.
The server, still smiling, replied, "Of course. If you need anything else, feel free to use the phone in your cabin to contact the front desk."
"Got it."
Kang stared blankly at the server.
The server seemed accustomed to all sorts of guest reactions and left with a polite smile.
After the server left, Kang brought the cart carrying the meal into the cabin.
The silver-haired princess moved to the dining table.
Talia began placing the exquisite dishes onto the table one by one. Then she turned to the silver-haired princess, who gave a small nod.
Talia promptly took a sample of the food and placed it into her mouth.
As she chewed, a steam-like aura of Nen surrounded her mouth.
"It's fine."
After swallowing the food, Talia moved on to the next dish.
"Safe. Safe…"
She sampled every dish, but when she picked up a flute glass, she detected a colorless, odorless poison on the rim.
"There's an issue."
Talia set down the flute glass, her expression unchanged.
The silver-haired princess remained calm.
Kang glanced at her and let out a sigh.
Before boarding this airship, they had released countless "smoke screens" to confuse potential enemies.
It was all done to stay inconspicuous, but none of it seemed to have worked.
"Never-ending trouble…"
Kang muttered, running his fingers through his spiky hair.
----------
Powerstones?
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen