Unconsciously, the two shifted positions again—Ron now stood above, looking down. Morena suddenly seemed a little tense.
"Ron, wait a second."
Morena touched the scar on her cheek. "Ron, do you really not mind this?"
"You're beautiful," Ron said as he reached out and gently touched the scar on her face. Morena closed her eyes.
Elsewhere, preparations for the Underworld Mafia's auction were proceeding in an orderly fashion. Officially, it was labeled a black-market event, but in truth, it was a well-known affair, held openly in one of Yorknew's high-rise towers.
A middle-aged man furrowed his brow tightly. Before the auction, the Ten Dons had already sought a divination from Neon, but the results were not favorable, which made them all the more cautious.
"Let's hope nothing goes wrong." But then again, who would even dare make a move against the Yorknew Auction? "Could it be that even the Underworld Mafia doesn't scare them anymore?"
A few years back, someone had tried to stir up trouble during the auction, but the destruction had been minor—just remnants of a small nation that had already been wiped out by the Underworld Mafia. The Shadow Beasts crushed them instantly, with only one person escaping. That person had never resurfaced. Either they died, or they were scared out of their mind.
"That country's remnants shouldn't exist anymore."
"Could it be the same person who caused the chaos at Experiment Base No. 2?"
In Heaven's Arena, on Ron's floor, only Shizuku, Nina, Misty, and Ponzu remained. Sally and Ruco had left, though they hadn't gone far—just nearby, where they purchased an existing facility, a fully outfitted dojo.
The former owner had been defeated and killed in the arena due to inferior skill. His son lacked the ability to continue running it and sold it off. Sally and Ruco took over. It was primarily Sally's effort, though she didn't have enough money and had borrowed from Ron to complete the purchase.
While technically they had left Ron's team, it wasn't a full separation—more like forming a new branch due to falling behind in strength. There were no students yet; they were still in the setup phase. They worked late into the night. Without Nen, they wouldn't have been able to manage, and even with Nen, they were already exhausted.
"Ruco, let's take a break."
They headed to the upper floor. The dojo spanned over 3,000 square meters and was divided into several sections. At the front was a small courtyard for visitors. Most guests would stop there and not be allowed past. Nearby was a lounge. Further inside was a large square training field—the main space of the dojo—used for instruction and practice.
To the right of the training area was the disciple's living quarters, complete with a kitchen for meal preparation. Behind the training ground was the dojo master's private residence, with a small courtyard and a tall building. From the top floor, one could oversee the entire facility.
Sally stood on the upper level, looking down, her thoughts mixed. To say she had no regrets about leaving Ron's team would be a lie. In her heart, Ron, Nina, and Shizuku were her closest friends. But seeing the dojo gradually take shape and soon ready to accept students, she began to feel a sense of hope.
"In a few more days, we can start accepting students." She looked at Ruco across from her. "Ruco, what kind of students do you think we should recruit?"
Ruco thought for a while. "They need to have money, decent character, and the higher the talent, the better."
Sally nodded. "Our strength can't keep up with Ron and the others. I hope at least one of our disciples can reach a level where they can stand alongside them. If that happens, I won't have any regrets."
Deep down, Sally still wanted to be part of Ron's team. But her own lack of ability made that impossible. So she hoped someone could achieve what she could not—someone who could take her place and walk beside Ron's team.
Ruco picked up a small pot of hot milk and poured it into a cup of coffee. The milk from White Rock steamed as it touched the surface, bubbling softly. After spending the entire day helping Sally prepare and clean the newly purchased dojo, her face was still flushed from fatigue, and sweat slid slowly down her cheeks.
In the hotel, the bed had long since settled. Morena lay with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. After a long time, she finally opened her eyes and looked at Ron beside her, her gaze soft. "Ron."
Morena said, "I have to get back to work tomorrow. The assignment they gave me isn't complete yet. In a few days, I'll have the Greed Island console delivered. Just call my number directly."
"You get some rest. I've still got things to handle—"
Before Ron could finish, he noticed her breathing had shifted. Turning to look, he saw that Morena had already fallen fast asleep.
Ron studied her. Whether it was her face or her figure, Morena was flawless. Her style was completely different from Ponzu or Shizuku. The scar on her face was rather savage, but it didn't detract from her beauty—instead, it gave her an unusual aura.
"If Ponzu is petite… and Shizuku is voluptuous… then Morena is like a black rose."
"Come to think of it, Morena could be considered a princess—the illegitimate daughter of the King of Kakin. She doesn't have the title of a legitimate princess, but royal blood still runs in her veins."
"Wendy also carries the bloodline of the Fiora royal family. I wonder what kind of Nen ability Morena had developed in this world."
In the Kakin Empire, princes were not taught Nen until they participated in the Egg of the King ceremony, but this rule didn't apply to illegitimate children. Morena had learned Nen long ago.
Ron remembered that in the original story, Morena's ability was Contagion, which infected others through saliva—a bit similar to Baise's ability in certain aspects. But in this world, Ron felt that Morena's power would no longer be the same. Because of his presence, Morena had already changed drastically from the original narrative.