Chapter 27: 1994 Has Passed
"Authentic 'Blue Moon Pearl,' don't miss it! The moonlight pearl that accompanies the Moon Tiger, one per tiger per lifetime!"
As night fell, more and more visitors in the amusement park's bustling fountain square were drawn to this shout.
This so-called Blue Moon Pearl, they had seen at the souvenir stalls on the other side of the park. Though not many truly believed it, the pearl was a local souvenir, and perhaps due to psychological reasons, it did appear more beautiful under the moonlight, reflecting a faint blue glow.
But what caught more attention was the little boy holding a glowing Blue Moon Pearl, shouting. He looked about 5 years old.
The boy smiled, "1800 Jenny, arm wrestle with me, and if you win, you can take this pearl."
The crowd buzzed with chatter, with some women laughing, "So cute, where are your parents?"
"This little cutie looks so serious, makes me want to hug him."
"This pearl is sold for 40,000 Jenny over there, is it fake?"
"Even if it's fake, it's free."
"40,000? The person who sold it to me said it was 100,000!"
"Hahaha."
Tired visitors, looking for entertainment, laughed and joked. Really, a kid this small, arm wrestling?
Arthur pushed away the women trying to touch him, displeased, "Ma'am, can you be serious? I'm trying to make money! Are you arm wrestling? 1800 per person, thank you!"
"Miss, I'll give you 5,000, but if I win, the pearl is mine," the woman said, amused, waving three bills in front of Arthur.
"Thank you, sister." Arthur took the bills, jumped onto a borrowed stool, and extended his hand, "Come on, sis."
The woman couldn't help but laugh, smoothing her hair, leaning down to grasp Arthur's small hand.
"Hehe, how could sis... huh?" The woman hadn't intended to exert much force, but gradually realized something was off. No matter how much strength she used, the boy's arm felt like iron, unmoving. Until she, sweating and exhausted, gave up, she was still puzzled, was this real?
Some cheered, some jeered, and some suspected a setup, "Beauty, is this kid yours? Hahaha!"
"I'll try!" A muscular man in a tank top jumped out, rubbing his fists, glaring at Arthur, "I hate bratty kids. Damn, this trip burned through my salary... Kid, uncle won't be as gentle as your mom!"
"Come on." Arthur waved his right hand, "1800 Jenny."
"2000 for a Blue Moon Pearl, not bad." The man slapped a bill on the table, only to be pinned down by Arthur, questioning his life choices.
Arthur had only set up the stall on a whim to earn some extra cash. He had no intention of holding back, no matter who challenged him, male or female, tall or short, all were pinned down within three seconds!
With his current total aura of about 1400, even though he wasn't an Enhancement Type, ordinary people stood no chance against him in a contest of strength, a complete mismatch.
Before the amusement park security arrived, Arthur gracefully packed up and left.
The crowd dispersed, some having enjoyed the show, others questioning their life choices. A shifty-looking young man, recognized by a passerby, "It's you! The swindler who sold me a pearl for 100,000!"
The swindler protested, "I got swindled too! That kid 'borrowed' the Blue Moon Pearl from me! How did he just leave?"
"So it was real? Interesting."
Satisfied with the entertaining conclusion, the onlookers left.
Arthur returned, tossing the Blue Moon Pearl in his hand, saying to the swindler, "1000 Jenny, I'll take it, how about it?"
"1000?!" The swindler's eyes widened, "Kid, you're even craftier than me!"
"900..."
"Deal!"
...
Arthur's little performance earned him 26,700 Jenny. After deducting the 900 for the Blue Moon Pearl, he made a profit of 25,800 Jenny, a significant sum for a single night's work.
Placing the Blue Moon Pearl on the bedside, reflecting the faint moonlight, Arthur lay down to sleep.
The next day, he continued his Nen Ability training in the morning, focusing on aura and basic skills in the afternoon.
After a simple round of basic training in the afternoon, Menchi disappeared, likely focusing on developing her Conjuration Ability. Ginta, having no reason to watch Arthur train alone, left with her.
Arthur remained undeterred, continuing his training, releasing his aura to the maximum, gradually increasing his aura limit through repeated depletion and growth.
In fact, his main focus wasn't on his own body, as he had already used the Star Mark on his neck to issue training commands to himself.
What is fully automated, idle-style training?
Part of Arthur's attention stayed with the two crows around Shizuku, persistently familiarizing himself, waiting for the right moment to perhaps guide Shizuku to him.
Another part of his attention remained on the Kakin people's actions on the north coast.
That evening, the elite soldier Babimyna seemed to have made new progress.
He found the burial site where Arthur had buried his godmother and another hunter's remains.
Using two other birds to switch shifts, Arthur watched from the treetop through the eyes of the birds as the Kakin people dug.
"There are two bodies here, one is the former queen, the other should be the professional hunter she hired."
"No trace of... the child's remains."
"Either taken by the person who buried them or carried off by wild animals earlier..."
Babimyna stood straight, hands behind his back, watching the pit where the woman's body lay, listening to his subordinates' report.
"Photograph and document, send to Prince Benjamin," he said.
"What about the bodies?" someone asked.
"Do you have a fetish for desecrating corpses?" Babimyna replied, "Record the location and fill it back in."
"Yes."
His subordinates busied themselves refilling the pit, while Babimyna watched quietly. Behind him, two birds left the treetop, circling before flying away.
"Always two at a time, a total of six..."
Babimyna didn't turn around, "Doesn't seem like a coincidence. Who trained these birds, or are they being controlled... Manipulation Type? Let's assume the person who forced Musse to commit suicide is aware and monitoring our actions. For now, let's not alert them, observe quietly."
"Not excluding... the possibility that this person took the young prince and intends to raise him."
"Why do I feel so uneasy?"
Outside East Town, Arthur's main body aimed at a tree, aura gathering on his finger, "Indeed, the six birds I sent to watch the Kakin people haven't changed in two days. If Babimyna is a trained soldier and Nen Ability expert, he might notice the unusual presence of six birds hovering nearby..."
"Can't play with these smart guys, let's leave it at that!"
Arthur released his finger, bang!
A Nen Bullet, in the form of a Finger Flick Technique, with at least 600 aura, struck the tree, breaking it effortlessly, continuing to pierce through four or five more trees before dissipating...
With such a powerful Nen Bullet, if it had been used that day, there would have been no need to argue with that water tower owner named Grant. A Finger Flick Technique like this would have settled it.
More importantly, after firing this charged Emission Type ultimate move, Arthur still had energy left, not completely drained by one big move.
He shook his hand, looking towards the north coast, surprised that Babimyna had the decency to rebury the bodies after confirming their identities...
This eased one of Arthur's concerns, leaving him only to worry about exposure. To avoid that, he needed to improve his strength as much as possible, so he withdrew the six birds monitoring the Kakin people, reducing the risk of exposure and freeing up some of his attention.
In the following days, Arthur's training intensified, seemingly putting more pressure on Menchi.
Menchi appeared less frequently, likely focused on developing her Conjuration Ability, determined to compete with Arthur.
Ginta, passing by Arthur's training ground, looked at the series of broken trees, thinking, "Is he an Emission Type? Or an Enhancement Type, maybe a Manipulation Type..."
...
Another noon, in the unchanged forest outside the town.
As Arthur immersed himself in the wonders of fully automated training, the bold Menchi approached.
After several days, she seemed to regain her confidence in front of Arthur, smiling, "You're still training today?"
Arthur opened one eye, glancing at her, as if saying, if you have something to say, say it, if not, get lost, don't disturb my leveling.
"Really impressive... I feel like you've more than doubled in strength since we first met!" Menchi looked at Arthur, then said, "Today's New Year! It's no longer 1994, it's 1995, January 1st! Don't train today, come to town, and see the feast I've prepared!"
She raised a finger, aura flowing on it, proudly telling Arthur, "I've succeeded in developing my ability! I won't lose to you anymore! Haha!"
Thinking of her success, Menchi couldn't help but beam with pride.
"1994 has passed, I miss it..." Arthur looked up at the sky, "Well, nothing to miss. Lumin, I'm off, I'll bring you something later!" He waved, "Let's go, time to feast!" The little rock sparrow chirped, flying after Arthur and Menchi. Menchi seemed eager to show off her newly developed ability, waiting for Arthur to ask, but he didn't, leaving her frustrated...
(End of Chapter)