Choosing to board this airship had been a decision based on the direct route's efficiency.
If he disembarked midway, he'd have to factor in the time lost while arranging alternative transportation.
Such delays were usually measured in days.
In other words, it could mean losing several days and potentially compromising his goals in the Ancient Ganyu Empire.
After careful consideration, Moro still decided to alter his travel plans.
After all, this trip to the Ancient Ganyu Empire wasn't mission-critical—at most, it was meant to scope things out.
If he managed to find an opportunity to act from the sidelines, he could decide whether or not to seize it.
But the likelihood of that was slim.
Even just observing a clash between experts from a distance was incredibly rare.
Ultimately, without sufficient strength, progress in certain situations becomes nearly impossible.
With this in mind, every choice and decision had to yield to reality.
Moro walked over to the desk holding the phone and picked up the itinerary booklet beside it.
Flipping it open, his gaze skimmed past the marked locations on the flight path and settled on the specific note regarding the first refueling stop.
It stated that the airship was expected to arrive at the first stop around noon the next day.
"Noon tomorrow, huh…"
Closing the itinerary, Moro glanced out at the night sky through the window.
If he missed the pursuit and hunt between Silva and the Phantom Troupe, he could at least rely on Argo's intelligence network to get something done.
That is, if—
He could get in touch with Silva, and if Silva would even accept intelligence assistance from an outsider.
Given the extensive resources of the Zoldyck family, they likely had their own dedicated tracking channels.
It was even possible Silva had already clashed with the Phantom Troupe.
Staring at the night sky, Moro quietly abandoned his plans for nightly training, returning to the sofa to sit in silent contemplation.
When he had spare time and wasn't training, Moro would often meditate to map out the future development paths for his ability, Fraudulent Star (欺诈飞星).
This had become a habit of his.
He could vaguely sense that after his death and rebirth, the emergence of Fraudulent Star had been unnaturally smooth and simple.
So simple, in fact, that he instinctively felt its creation hadn't taken up any of his nen capacity.
This suggested that even if he developed additional effects for Fraudulent Star later, he likely wouldn't face the usual challenges or limitations tied to nen capacity.
With this possibility in mind, and to ensure the development of even rarer ability effects…
Moro often meditated.
At the same time, this practice helped further stabilize his mastery of Ten (缠).
As time passed, second by second…
"Hm?"
He wasn't sure how much time had gone by when Moro suddenly opened his eyes and sharply looked toward the door.
Just now—
He had felt an unabashed surge of aura.
Lower Deck
It was late at night, and most passengers were asleep. Only a few lingered in the bars on the upper and lower decks.
For Rokuhara, nighttime was the perfect time to invade shadows.
When a target was asleep, the time required to infiltrate their shadow was significantly reduced.
Rokuhara planned to stay up all night on the first day, taking control of as many people as possible.
Once he gained control over all the passengers on the lower deck, he could begin infiltrating the upper deck, waiting for the perfect moment to act.
"Patience… to ensure the mission's success."
Rokuhara, like a maggot, burrowed into a passenger's shadow, repeating the same process over and over.
So far, he had already taken control of nearly 50 passengers.
As he prepared to target his 51st victim, he suddenly felt a burst of aura emanating from the upper deck.
"Aura from nen… so blatant. Who could it be…?"
Emerging from the dark shadow, Rokuhara's body became visible as he gazed upward at the ceiling with a look of surprise.
Kang's Cabin
"Saph, wake up."
Talia called to the silver-haired woman.
Saph was not the woman's real name.
As the Third Princess of the Ancient Ganyu Empire, her identity was bound by strict royal laws. Technically, Talia shouldn't even address her by name, as doing so could carry a death sentence.
However, given the urgency of their situation, the silver-haired woman, who was no fool, found the use of an alias acceptable under the circumstances.
"What's going on?"
Awakened by Talia's call, Saph sat up in bed, her demeanor calm and composed.
By the door, Kang stood tall like a spear. Hearing Saph's question, he answered in Talia's stead: "Someone is trying to provoke us."
"Provoke us?"
A glimmer of confusion flashed through Saph's blue eyes. "Isn't that unnecessary?"
"Ah, normally, yes. It would be unnecessary. But…"
Kang stared at the door, and midway through his explanation, he found himself at a loss for words.
When it comes to anything involving nen, conventional logic no longer applies.
Their unknown opponent was broadcasting their aura with clear malicious intent, yet the act of provoking them seemed redundant…
From a nen perspective, it was possible the opponent possessed some form of counter-attack ability.
Acting recklessly might worsen an already disadvantageous situation.
Given this, Kang surmised that their decision to board the airship was precisely the outcome their enemy had carefully orchestrated, trapping them in a situation where they had no choice but to engage.
The realization made Kang frown.
On one hand, he needed to ensure the safety of his client. On the other, the situation's constraints left them with few options and even fewer chances to maneuver.
Even the space for probing their opponent was limited…
That said, doing nothing wasn't an option either.
But then…
He still needed to explain the situation to Saph. What a headache.
In just a few seconds, Kang's mind raced like a storm.
Although Saph was aware of nen's existence, her understanding was shallow.
To Kang, trying to explain everything clearly would take far more than a few sentences.
And explaining things wasn't exactly his strong suit…
Saph noticed his sudden silence but didn't seem upset.
Beside her, Talia, sensing Kang's difficulty, tried to explain in simpler terms: "This provocation is a setup. The other side wants to force us to choose between 'counterattack' and 'wait and see.'"
"I see," Saph nodded lightly, her expression calm. "But if they've come prepared, won't any choice we make be within their expectations?"
"That's the crux of the issue…"
Talia's eyes turned serious.
Both she and Kang understood that while their opponent's actions left some room for maneuvering, the layers of constraints and traps had already put them at a disadvantage.
"So, there's no third option? Like… ignoring my safety altogether?"
Saph's tone was tranquil, as if she were discussing something trivial.
"!!!" – Talia
"…" – Kang
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Powerstones?
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