Ron's three companions were amazed at what they saw. None of them could tell where Ron had produced the laptop from—almost as if it had appeared out of thin air. Ron didn't explain. Once they developed their own abilities, they would naturally find out.
"There's a group of assassins called 'Nightfall' planning to kill a noble named Karu. Tuck's job is to protect Karu. But according to the intel, at least three assassins will be dispatched. Handling all of them alone will be tough for Tuck. That's why he wants to hire me to deal with one of them."
Ron glanced at the attached photo. It showed a short-haired blonde woman who looked bright and sunny on the surface, but was, in fact, one of the killers from Nightfall.
"The operation's in ten days…"
After a moment of thought, Ron sent Tuck a reply:
"If I finish my business in time, I'll take the job. But I can't guarantee I'll be done within ten days."
Ron still didn't know exactly what awaited them in Ponzu's village.
Before long, Tuck replied:
Ron closed the laptop, and with a single thought, it vanished—returned to Sumass's space.
He had originally met Tuck in the Sahelta United Republic while investigating the 'Red Tron' group with Mizaistom. Tuck was part of an official investigative unit in this country. Though he came from a remote region, his abilities and talent had caught the eye of his superiors. When Ron first arrived, Tuck had been a low-ranking officer and a C-rank Nen user. Now he'd become a senior officer and a B-rank Nen user, able to lead missions on his own.
Tuck was well aware of how corrupt this country was, but he refused to give up hope. He believed it was only partially rotten and could still be saved if people worked hard enough. He dutifully threw himself into every assignment his superiors gave him.
The airship landed again. Ponzu's village wasn't far. Ron found a secluded corner and, in the next moment, summoned a door. A car emerged from it. He took the driver's seat, while Hanzo, Ruco, and Ponzu stood there, eyes wide in astonishment. A vehicle that large had just appeared out of nowhere?
"Get in," Ron called from the window.
They hurried to climb inside—Hanzo and Ruco took the back seat, while Ponzu got the passenger seat.
"Captain," Ponzu asked, "is this car part of your Nen ability?"
Ron shook his head. "No. It's just a normal car. It's how I stored it that counts as one of my abilities. Once you develop your own Nen, you'll understand."
He offered no detailed explanation about the Nen beast or Sumass, nor did he want anyone to know it was a separate entity. Let them assume it was all part of his own skill. After all, Sumass was originally tied to the Kurta Clan, and three powerful forces—Kakin, Mingbo, and Meteor City—had once attacked them to seize it. The Scarlet Eyes were a trivial side prize in comparison.
Ron drove off, occasionally checking on Hanzo, Ruco, and Ponzu in the rearview mirror. All three had been quick studies of Nen's fundamentals—Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and even Gyo were basically in place now. The only thing left was Hatsu: they first had to deepen their mastery of the basics before they could craft their individual Nen abilities. That would make their Hatsu more coherent and effective.
Hanzo's primary affinity was Emission with a minor leaning toward Conjuration. Over time, Ron had realized that most people had a main category and at least one secondary leaning. For example, two Enhancers might both be purely Enhancement, but one could also have a knack for Emission, while the other might have a knack for Transmutation. Ron himself was Specialization first, with Emission as a secondary.
A mountain came into view. Ponzu said, "Captain, my village is in that mountain. Follow this road and head uphill until you reach a large valley halfway up. That's where we live."
However, the path wasn't suitable for driving. Ron brought the car to a stop.
"Looks like we'll have to go on foot from here."
They got out, and Ron returned the car to Sumass's space. He then summoned a figure, who appeared beside him: Sasuke. At the moment, Ron's two strongest Nen beasts were Natsu and Sasuke, each with different traits. Natsu's aura gave off a more imposing feel, whereas Sasuke's presence was more subdued—though no less potent against a skilled Nen user.
Ponzu pointed to the slope. "Our village survives mostly on beekeeping. The mountain's full of flowering plants, so we harvest rich, fragrant honey that's popular everywhere. We also raise Bee Queens—there are two in total. The one I have is still young, but the other, older one controls the bees the rest of the village keeps. Over the past few years, though, we've had one strange event after another. It's affected not only people but the bees as well."
Ron glanced at her. "Tell me about these strange events.'"
Ponzu paused, recalling the details. "There's a young girl in the village who was born with one black leg. It doesn't affect her movement, but people who spend too long around her come down with some sort of contagious illness. And once infected, they quickly get sick…"
She trailed off, looking troubled.